


Reishou Tantei (Ghost-Whispering Detectives)

by adrimars



Category: JO1 (Japan Band), MADKID, Produce 101 Japan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, F/M, Fantasy, Gen, Mystery, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:47:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 97,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22082065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adrimars/pseuds/adrimars
Summary: A team of five local small-town cold case detectives with their own special abilities to communicate with ghosts receive a decoded message from the Mirukan Empire government regarding two unsolved cold cases that only they can possibly solve. With the help of their friends, old and new, they begin their adventure back to the Royal Capital to fulfill a top secret cold case that may not only change the fate of the Mirukan Empire, but to also save its people from hidden internal corruption. But first, they must overcome the pasts that caused them to isolation when they reunite with old friends whom they decided never to associate and communicate once again.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	1. The Royal Princes' Cypher

**Author's Note:**

> Before reading, please read my Twitter thread here: https://twitter.com/adristylejo1/status/1212573706066612224?s=21
> 
> The characters list will eventually be updated per chapter. I ended up writing a chapter too long that I decided to split it in two. There will be some switching between the past and the present for better "in-depth" of the story.
> 
> I know it's badly written, but I'm not aiming to be a published author. I only wrote this for my enjoyment and the enjoyment of my fellow JO1/PDJP/MADKID fans.
> 
> Please enjoy the first chapter!

17-year-old Issei Mamehara biked his way to the entrance of the somewhat unkept old building with the almost-run down sign that read _RAIRA FAMILY & DEPUTIES_ with the subtitle of _COLD CASE INVESTIGATIONS PRECINT #34SN_ with a positive eye and a light smile on his face. As always, he was greeted by the townsfolk of Yamabe, where he proudly resides with pride. Along with his bike are a small pack of letters tied by a red ribbon. As the official courier of the Raira Family & Deputies Agency, he waved at those passing by and entered the entrance doors.

  


At the reception desk, he greets the receptionist currently busy typing his reports. Issei lifted his courier hat and tapped the bell on the counter to greet the bespectacled black bowl-haired receptionist.

  


"Ah, Mame-chan!" 19-year-old Syoya Kimata smiled, tipping his eyeglasses back on his nose. "You look like in a good mood today. Something good happen in school?"

  


"Good? Good? Kimata-kun, way better than good!" Issei gleefully exclaimed. "Is Captain Yasu available?"

  


Syoya shook his head. "He and the detectives are attending the town hall meeting right now. Should be done by now."

  


Issei snapped his finger. "Oh yeah, there is a town hall meeting today! I hope we get some good news from the Royal Capital."

  


The receptionist sighed. "My family and I have long lost our faith in the emperor since the pillaging years ago. They never sent any form of aid to us, which is why now that a lot of Yamabe's children have lost their families. Good thing you still have yours, Mame-chan."

  


Issei sighed, then handed the ribbon-tied letters to the receptionist. "Anyway, today's letters from the post office. One of the envelopes looked pretty fancy."

  


Syoya reached for the letters at the counter and untied the ribbon. He checked the addresses on the envelopes and the recipients and placed them in the appropriate mailboxes per detective. When he got to the final envelope, he felt an engraving at the back of the silver-lined white envelope. He flipped to see what the engraving was and gulped nervously.

  


"It's… from the Royal Capital…" Syoya muttured.

  


"Eh? Really?" Issei exclaimed. "Who's the lucky detective who owns that letter?"

  


"Captain Yasu, who else? He's the branch captain, after all." Syoya continued to inspect the silver-lined envelope. From the design and thickness of the paper, this seems to be a very urgent letter. I'll place it in Captain Yasu's mailbox."

  


"Whew." Issei wiped his forehead, which was secreting a little bit of sweat. "I wanna say I want to go home and announce the good news to my parents, but I want to tell everyone at the agency first."

  


"Sounds fun," Syoya grinned. "Maybe you want to tell me first?"

  


Issei crossed his arms and stuck his tongue. "No fair! It has to be Captain Yasu and the detectives first! We gotta wait till they get back!"

  


"Yeah? What's the big fuss, Mame?"

  


The two shrieked in surprise to see 24-year-old branch captain, Inspector Captain Kosuke Raira, who just entered the door. The rest of the team, all bearing the same family name of Raira, followed him from behind. The other four detectives greeted the eager teenager, as Issei gathered everyone at the lobby waiting area including the agency's receptionist.

  


Once they all settled down with Syoya serving the team some cups of coffee and tea, Issei cleared his throat while clinging onto a letter with a regal-looking logo at the corner of the envelope. Kosuke caught the sight of the logo, but waited until Issei made his announcement.

  


"I'm so happy to share you the best news! I just received a letter from the Mirukan Royal Academy. I couldn't wait to go home when I picked the letters up from the post office, as always. I opened the letter and—" Quickly, the teen handed the letter to Kosuke, insisting that the inspector captain read the contents.

  


"Do I have to read it?" Kosuke snickered.

  


"Will you, Captain Yasu?" Issei flashed his doe eyes. Kosuke shrugged and opened the letter.

  


_Greetings, Mr. Mamehara,_

  


_We would like to extend this exciting news to you. We first wish to thank you for considering the Mirukan Royal Academy to continue your post-secondary studies in the very established law enforcement field. We have reviewed your application and have thoroughly checked and graded your entrance exams._

  


_Congratulations for your exemplary presentation and merit. We would like to welcome you and offer you a special spot in the Law Enforcement Field of the Mirukan Royal Academy as one of our distinguished students—_

  


"MAME-CHAAAAN!! MY MAN!!!" 21-year-old deputy detective Keigo Raira embraced the teenager with glee. "YOU'RE ON YOUR WAY TO BECOMING A DETECTIVE SOON!!"

  


"I… I can't contain my tears…" Issei sniffed his nose while wiping a few of his tears from his eyes. "I… I didn't think I can even pass their entrance exams! I don't care about anything else about that academy, but their law enforcement is truly topnotch… and all of you Raira Detectives all graduated with honors from the royal academy. Ugh, what do I do now? I'm too excited!"

  


"Shh…" The other three detectives hushed the excited teen. Kosuke continued on reading the rest of the letter.

  


_… The next steps will be provided in the incoming packet that has all of the information regarding the Mirukan Royal Academy student life, more detailed information about our Law Enforcement Field program, and steps to prepare for your first year here at our school._

  


_In addition to your acceptance letter, you will also receive a separate letter regarding your scholarship award. Congratulations on winning the Mirukan Royal Academy Alumni Scholarship, as we recognize your sponsors, the distinguished reishou tantei of the Raira Family & Deputies Agency Precint #34SN, as honored alumni of our school's law enforcement field program. Whichever path you may choose within our law enforcement field, please rely on your sponsors to guide you on your academic journey…_

  


After Kosuke read the rest of the letter, he handed it back to their courier. "You know what, later tonight, we should go out for dinner to celebrate your acceptance to the royal academy, Mame. All your hard work and part-time dedication to our agency has seriously paid off. You earned all of this, Mame, and you should be proud."

  


"I am, thanks to you all!" They all embraced each other, with Syoya interrupting their short celebration.

  


"By the way, Captain Yasu, you've got one distinctive letter that arrived today in your mailbox. From the looks and feel of that envelope, it must be top secret important."

  


"Kimata—" Just as Kosuke was about to respond, Issei bowed to his seniors.

  


"Well, sounds like it's business as usual. I should be on my way home now. I still have to share this good news with my family. I'll stop by again later!"

  


Issei exchanged his quick byes to the agency, as he made his exit. Meanwhile, the detectives reached for their mailboxes near the reception counter. Kosuke immediately noticed the silver-lined envelope with an invisible engraving of the Royal Seal of the Mirukan Empire at the bottom right.

  


"This one?" Kosuke raised an eyebrow, staring at the silver-lined envelope in his hand. "Feels like cotton, very thick—- uh yeah, it's from the Royal Capital."

  


"Huh," 25-year-old technical operator and cyberspace detective Lin Raira reacted. "That's a first, Yasu. You hate the current government, why are they sending you a letter directly from them?"

  


"Dunno," Kosuke sighed. He made his way to his office at the wood and glass door bearing his name on it. "I'll read it later—"

  


"Na-uh," Keigo quickly blocked his captain's path. "That silver envelope thing looks important. Sounds like a cold case to me!"

  


"I agree!" 20-year-old Era Raira, the youngest of the agency team, joined in. "We haven't had any cases for like months and we're all getting poor because we haven't been getting paid enough."

  


The inspector captain sighed. "You kids act like y'all don't know what the word 'private and personal' means—-"

  


"There's no indication on that envelope somewhere that says 'confidential,' Cap," Keigo smiled. "So, this must be an entire agency matter. They only addressed it to you because you're the branch captain, that's all!"

  


"That's some interesting logic you've got there, Keigo," 21-year-old Mion Raira chuckled. "But can we just all respect Captain Yasu by letting him read the letter by himself? If it's really personal and confidential, he wouldn't be reading it aloud to us."

  


"Thank you for your concern, Mion," Kosuke sighed in relief. "Look, let's just all gather in my office. You might as well come along too and jot the notes down, Kimata."

  


"M-me?" Syoya pointed to himself. "Ah, right. Got it!" He grabbed his mini-laptop, as the entire team entered Kosuke's office.

* * *

  


In Kosuke's office, everyone gathered at the small table in front of his desk. Rather than relaxing on his desk chair, he sat along with his team with the silver-lined envelope on his hand. Syoya turned on his tablet, ready to type in the notes that will come out from this closed-door meeting.

  


The detectives and Receptionist Kimata waited for the inspector captain to open the envelope. Once Kosuke sat on his seat, he carefully opened his letter with a letter opener. He reached for the cotton-felt paper along with a handwritten note. Kosuke made sure that he should be the first to read what was on the letter before he shared it to the rest of the team.

  


"Huh…" The inspector captain's eyes widened with an alarmed expression on his face. Right after he carefully read and re-read the one-page letter from top to bottom, he immediately handed it to the agency's cybersecurity detective. Lin, perplexed, held the paper that was given to him.

  


"Oh… well damn…" Lin muttered, then showed the paper briefly to the youngest detective, Era. The demure-seeming detective scooted closer to Lin and began to skim the letter. She nodded at Lin as her response.

  


Lin placed the letter in the middle for everyone to see, making everyone gasp in surprise.

  


"Wait… isn't that?" Syoya gasped at the sight of the letter. He gulped nervously and continued. "Isn't that the rumored… Royal Princes' Cypher system that the RPC uses to send each other's messages incognito?"

  


"Bingo," Kosuke nodded, crossing his arms.

  


"I've seen how the Royal Princes' Cypher before when my father used to deliver messages from royal to royal back at the Royal Capital," Syoya explained. "Even my father doesn't know how to read it… or even decode it." He turned to the entire detective team with curiosity. "But I don't get it. Why is the message sent to you encoded in the Royal Princes' Cypher, Captain Yasu?"

  


Kosuke gently patted his receptionist on the shoulder. "Simple answer, Kimata. Whatever's in this letter is Top Secret, not just to me, but also to the team."

  


Syoya crossed his arms. "Rather obvious answer, Captain Yasu. If the Royal Princes' Cypher can only be read and decoded by the other royals who are members of the Mirukan RPC, why would they send a decoded message directly to you? How are you guys going to decode this one?"

  


"Lin-niki, Era, explain to our receptionist friend here." Kosuke gave the two their chance to speak with confidence in his expression.

  


"Right," Lin cleared his throat. "It was a final project back in school before graduation."

  


"Wait…" Syoya rubbed his chin. "Final project? What final project? Do the Mirukan Royal Academy law enforcement students get to learn the Royal Princes' Cypher system and… you mean…?"

  


Era nodded and continued. "Lin… and I… we were partnered up by our graduate counselor and we had two options: an original final project or a research paper project. Lin got tired of writing too many research papers, so we decided to attempt an original final project: creating a secret cypher system that only Mirukanian law enforcers may use to communicate with each other in secret. With Lin's analytical skills and my artistic skills, we pretty much drew up an easy-to-remember symbol system. We also drafted process carefully on how they can be used, not just on handwriting, but also on computers too."

  


She turned her head towards Lin, who still remained silent. The glasses-donning cybersecurity detective just gave her a nod. "You're not gonna talk, Lin-nii?"

  


"You're better at talking, Era. I trust you."

  


"Right." Era turned to the group and continued. "Lin-nii and I won the Final Graduation Prize, first place. We even had our names engraved in their Law Enforcement Field Hall of Fame because of it. But back then, we never called it the Royal Princes' Cypher. It was under a different name that Lin-nii and I came up."

  


"The Raira Family Code," Lin finally spoke. "We're not really original with names, so yeah. Besides, we're not just a team of detectives under the Raira Family & Deputies Precint #34SN. We're all five adopted siblings by Senior Inspectors Goro and Jun Raira, who not only took care of us when we lost our families, but also nurtured us to be who we are right now."

  


"Well," Syoya smiled happily. "That's amazing, isn't it? But why was the cypher system renamed? I mean, were you all furious that the Royal Princes' Council renamed it to make it sound like it's theirs?"

  


"That…" Era was ready to continue on when their inspector captain interrupted them.

  


"Ehem," Kosuke cleared his throat. "That portion of the story will be told at another time. We don't have time to tell stories right now." He placed his palm on the letter and slid it back to Lin and Era. "Decode the message before we all go to bed tonight. Pronto."

  


Lin saluted and Era nodded. "Aye, Captain."

  


"By tonight? Isn't that kind of rushing?" Syoya continued on with his curiosity.

  


"Kimata, kid," Keigo smirked, patting their receptionist. "We don't normally receive any form of correspondence from the empire's government, let alone from the royal level, but a message sent to us encoded using the Royal Princes' Cypher also means it's very urgent."

  


"We'll have it done before we go to sleep, Kimata," Lin nodded in agreement. "Era and I invented the system some seven years ago. We'll have it cracked in no time."

  


Syoya nodded. "As expected of cybersecurity detective Lin Raira."

  


Lin folded the encrypted letter and placed it back in the envelope, gently gripping it in his hand.

* * *

  


### Yamabe Delights Restaurant & Bar (early night hours)

  


As promised, the Raira Agency detectives treated the new Royal Academy law enforcement student Issei Mamehara and his family out to dinner at their favorite restaurant. Not only that Yamabe Delights Restaurant & Bar was the detectives' favorite place to dine, but it was also a great place to chat with their fellow townfolk, some were their former clients, about anything and everything out of the ordinary. To the folks who live at the border towns such as Yamabe, this was more of their social community center than the town hall meetings and town festivals and other types of celebrations.

  


The detectives couldn't help but think about the case request their inspector captain received earlier today from the Royal Capital. Not only that they felt an overwhelming pressure on themselves with the cold cases, but also the ones who sent the letter. Eventually, the sender and the signers of the assignment letter would be their clients. After listening to the letter Kosuke read to them and discussed of the pros and cons of taking two cases at the same time, the five detectives, five adopted siblings under the guardianship of the now-retired detective couple, former Inspector Captain Goro Raira and his wife, Senior Detective Jun Raira, still have not come to a final decision.

  


Not too long ago, according to their receptionist Syoya, Precint #34SN is now on the list of the law and order bureau's Troubled Precints for the lack of activity and funding from any local cases. That was only because the Raira Agency had completed and closed all the unsolved cases that took place at the border region of the Mirukan Empire. For the more spiritually apt detectives in Keigo and Mion, there weren't any spirits of victims who appeared to them for so many months since their last case.

  


Issei's parents decided to let their son be with his seniors when they spotted some of their friends entering the restaurant. Looking with eager eyes as always, Kosuke knew that the future detective will have a long list of questions about his new school, the law enforcement field program, and even about the types of students that the Raira Detectives encountered and even made friends with.

  


"Some of my friends from school came over my house to congratulate me when they heard the news," Issei began. "They kept telling me that the Mirukan Royal Academy's law enforcement field program was the hardest to get into. I heard that there used to be a Mirukan Integrated Academy for the scholarship and low-income high-achieving students like myself before. Is that true?"

  


"There still is a Mirukan Integrated Academy, Mame," Kosuke answered immediately. "It's the law enforcement field program that was no longer at the integrated academy."

  


"Huh? But how? Does that mean that the law enforcement field program is for royalty and nobility only?" Issei asked curiously.

  


"No, not like that," Mion joined in the conversation. "All five of us were rightfully to be enrolled in the integrated academy because we're all from low income families. However, there weren't very many scholarship and low income students who got into the law enforcement field program except for us Rairas. So, instead of us attending the integrated academy, we got transferred to the royal academy instead."

  


"Yup," Lin yawned, sipping on his glass of wine. "We all had to deal with a bunch of snob elitists. It was a major struggle, you know?"

  


"No, it wasn't," Keigo raised an eyebrow. "I mean partially yeah, we had to deal with a bunch of snobs, but only because they're jealous."

  


"Jealous, huh?" Syoya asked curiously. "Because the adopted Raira kids are simply amazing?"

  


"Nah, not like that," Kosuke answered. "Now that we're on the subject, we might as well help you get prepared for your first few days at MRA, Mame."

  


Issei nodded. "I'm ready for anything, Captain Yasu."

  


"During your first few days at MRA, when you get to the cafeteria for lunch, there is a bulletin board wall divided by fields. The LEF Board, or the Law Enforcement Field, will always have a riddle, puzzle, or a short mystery posted once a week that every LEF student are required to solve, optional for those who are from other fields. You got one week in solving these, and when the answers are announced and you were able to solve it correctly, they add points to your school record. They don't really affect your grades or anything, but they're more like reputation points for your smarts. In a way, this is a bit of an initiation to be part of the academy's most popular circle of students. In short, anyone related to royal families under the empire or simply high nobility who are close to the Empire's Royal Family. Make friends with those of that level, you'll have easier access to connections from above whenever you need help and everything else."

  


"Whoa, so for status? That's expected from the Mirukan Royal Academy," Syoya rubbed his chin.

  


"None of us Rairas were interested in that initiation or making friends with the higher ups for any reason, since none of us plan on moving to the Royal Capital to live our future adult lives there, but we all had a knack for solving riddles, puzzles, and short mysteries. The parents taught us how to embrace them in many ways, you know? Actually back then, we didn't know that solving these random riddles a week is a ticket for getting popularity and recognition among the royalty and nobility, whoever was attending then."

  


"In short," Mion interrupted, "during our first few months, we had some trouble dealing with a bunch of jealous haters because the short mystery posted on the LEF board back then for the first week of the school year, we were able to solve it in ten minutes."

  


"Eh? Ten minutes?" Syoya and Mame exclaimed in shock. "What puzzle was it?"

  


"As expected, you'll ask about the puzzle that we solved that got us permanent tickets to sit at the second floor cafeteria in the same area as the Royal Princes," Keigo chuckled softly, then nudged by the captain. "Ouch… what's up with that?"

  


"Too much information, Keigo. The agency office is the best place to talk about things like this."

  


Keigo gently rubbed his left arm. "Sorry, Aniki. I'll be careful."

  


"Good."

  


Issei changed the subject. "Still, I look up to you Rairas for making it all the way this far, and I'm happy that you let me take this small part-time job in being your official courier while I'm attending school. You guys are the best reishou tantei detectives in the entire border region! That's why I wanted to become a detective. Maybe not a reishou tantei detective since I don't have any special reishou powers, but because of you guys, it really motivated me to pursue this line and maybe I can join the Raira Family and Deputies Agency too!"

  


Era patted the teenager on the shoulder. "Oh, definitely, we'd love to have some junior detectives in the agency like yourself! I mean, it is kinda getting lonely with just the five of us doing all the work, you know?"

  


"But I ain't lying when I said they were jealous," Keigo smirked. "Not bragging and all, but sometimes just being friends with certain people can really influence everybody else, you know?"

  


"The friends with certain people… you mean, you guys became friends with some popular kids that everybody wants to be friends with?"

  


Kosuke almost spat out of laughter after sipping on his water. "They're everyday humans like us, Mame. They ain't godly or anything. Just that their backgrounds made everyone else think they're some gods."

  


The table went on dining, enjoying their meals while exchanging a few words about their everyday life. Moments later after they finished their dining and making their way outside to the parking lot, Issei broke his silence and then turned right at the detectives.

  


"So, Captain Yasu… what was the puzzle or riddle that you guys solved in ten minutes that got you notorious at the Royal Academy?" Issei grinned. "At least, give me some tips on how I can solve them when I get there."

  


"Your parents are waiting for you at the car," Kosuke reminded the eager seventeen-year-old.

  


"Aw, come on, Captain Yasu. Maybe email me about it?"

  


The rest of the detectives shrugged and Kosuke nodded. "Alright, Mame. I'll send you the email with the riddle that we solved when you get home."

  


Issei grinned. "Yay! Thanks!"

  


"And we want you to solve the riddle yourself and see if you can beat our record back then."

  


"Eh? I don't think I can do it."

  


Kosuke tapped Issei's forehead. "This is where your head is needed to tackle these riddles, Mame. Remember, you're aiming to become a detective. Your mind is a very valuable thing you possess."

  


Issei nodded after giving it his own thoughts. "Okay. I'll read it tomorrow then!"

  


They exchanged their goodbyes as they made their way to their vehicles at the parking lot. Kosuke handed their vehicle keys to Lin, who admitted he was a little too drunk to drive. Lin shook his head and placed his arm around the inspector captain.

  


Once they reached their SUV, they overhear a group of men chatting and gossping nearby. In a small town setting such as this, everyone talks about anything, whether they were plain gossip or not. The topic that these middle-aged men peaked the curiosities of the detectives and, once they all entered their vehicle, decided to listen with their windows narrowly open.

  


"It looks like the Emperor decided to hold the Crown Princes' Ball to… commemorate the honor of the four candidates to succeed the emperor: his two sons and his two nephews from his younger cousin, the King of Hangingake, and the rest of the Mirukan Royal Princes Council. But what it really is an arranged marriage initiation ball when all the royalties within the empire and those of the highest noble births doll up their daughters in hopes that the four candidate princes will choose them to be their wives and possible future queen… or empress even if one of the four gets chosen to be the emperor's new heir. It'll take place two weeks from today at the Royal Capital."

  


"Bah, that's BS! This ain't about true love or whatever shit you hear from them fairy tales! Sometimes I feel bad for these girls— getting sold out like that to the emperor's sons for their own gain. They all don't get how really damaged this empire is. Even after so many years since we've recovered from the pirate pillaging and massacre, the empire still hasn't counted on the damages that was done to us. They wouldn't even let our local detectives uncover the incident! This should be treated as a cold case!"

  


"If y'all are pissed at what's gonna happen in two weeks with that grand ball that'll cost a chunk of taxpayer's money, there has been some rumors here and there about what's about to take place around that same time."

  


"Yo, you better lower your voice, man. We don't know if they got royal capital spies hanging around our towns within the border region if you're gonna talk about what I think you're gonna talk about…"

  


"Relax, this is a public place. There's nobody here."

  


"So, what is it? Spill already!"

  


"There may be an attempt to kidnap all four crown princes on the day of the Crown Princes' Ball in two weeks."

  


"Eh? That's BS, by who? No moron's gonna be dumb enough to try and break the royal capital's palace walls!"

  


"Don't forget, the Shouran Rebellion still exists."

  


"What? The Shouran Rebels? But they're not the types to kidnap anyone, not even royalty! Sure, they'll cause uprisings, rallies, and protests, but they do not resort to more extreme actions such as kidnapping!"

  


"Don't forget, man. The empire had the guts to abandon the people who were wrongfully massacred and pillaged in our border region here years ago. The Shouran Rebellion will not hesitate to do the same—"

  


"Close the windows, guys."

  


Quickly, the detectives who were listening in closed their car windows after hearing Kosuke giving their command. "I think we've heard enough."

  


Syoya gulped. "Captain Yasu… we haven't heard anything about the Shouran Rebels for a while now. And yet the empire armies are still hanging around our towns searching for anyone involved in the rebellion. I hope they don't come at Yamabe and question all of us."

  


"Keep quiet about the Shounan Rebels, Kimata," Kosuke warned him. "You don't want to get your family in trouble."

  


"Sorry. You're right, Captain."

  


"Good. Let's drive home and have some good night's rest." He turned to Lin the driver and youngest sister Era, sitting behind Lin. "Don't forget to decode that letter before you go to bed. Once you decode it, bring the letter immediately to me."

  


"What if you're already sleeping?" Lin raised an eyebrow.

  


"Knock on the door, Lin-niki."

  


"Right."

  


Lin turned on the ignition and drove off the parking lot, making their way back home.

  



	2. The Rairas and the LEF

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mame couldn't contain his excitement of his acceptance to the Mirukan Royal Academy's LEF (Law Enforcement Field) Program that he begged Kosuke to share one of his and his siblings' moments as former LEF students. While Lin and Era proceeded in breaking the Royal Princes' Cypher-decoded letter Kosuke received earlier today, the inspector captain shared his story to Mame over the phone on how they began their years as LEF students at an elite school they did not originally enroll at.
> 
> Here's a sneak peek of the Raira Detectives' past and the friendships they formed among their fellow LEF students, including the four crown princes of the future Mirukan RPC (Royal Princes Council).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of the characters' ages will be adjusted to fit the story, so in short, just forget about their actual ages irl when you read this fanfic.

### The Raira Family & Deputies Detective Agency Precint #34SN

  


21-year-old junior librarian Kise Sanjo entered the lobby where she caught her old childhood friends and their staff unwinding after their arrival from their celebratory dinner for Issei Mamehara's admission to the Mirukan Royal Academy LEF Program. She carried a medium-sized shopping bag filled with books reserved that were recently returned to the Yamabe Public Library that Mion and Kengo requested a few days ago. She herself was on her way back home to her apartment but stopped by the agency office as it's on its way.

  


"Hello, looks like I got here on time," the bright-smiled Kise knocked on the reception counter.

  


"Kise, hi!" Mion and Era greeted their old friend. "Heading home late?"

  


"We had to clean up a few things at the Old Archives basement area," Kise answered. "Also, the books you requested but weren't available then just arrived, so I went ahead and packed them up in this shopping bag here."

  


The sisters thanked her for her visit. Kise changed the subject immediately. "Say, Mion? Um… there's something else that I included in the bag."

  


Mion and Era already began unpacking the bag until they stumbled upon an old, recently- dusted brown tied folder containing well-preserved news clips pasted on display on its heavy pages. The folder at the front was written _The Borders Region Cold Case Clippings vol. 0.5_ on it.

  


"What's this? More cold cases? Well, at least these will keep us busy."

  


"Um, that's not quite the reason why I sneaked this folder in, Mion. I put a post-it bookmark on one of the pages. It seems that there is a cold case that took place at the Mirukan Royal Academy that was somehow disregarded and decided not to solve it."

  


"Why? How come?" Era blinked curiously. "We didn't hear any strange cold cases that took place at the Royal Academy before. Not when we were still students then."

  


"Well, there were certain photos that gave me the chills. I remembered how you… how you had a relationship with this guy before, Mion. Just take a look."

  


"If you say so, Kise." Mion untied the folder and flipped the pages immediately to the post-it marked pages. Right then, she dropped the folder by surprise once she saw a particular photo. Along with that, she covered her mouth in shock, as Era bent down and picked it up.

  


"Huh… isn't this… your crush before back when were still in high school, Mion-nee? I remembered how you sketched his face because there wasn't a yearbook photo of him anywhere while we were there and you seem to have bad luck with your phone running out of battery when he was around so you can take his picture… back then."

  


"You have to check the date also, as well as the newspaper clippings. Now I see why your heart was so broken when you learned more about him, Mion. I'm so sorry…" Kise frowned, patting her friend on the shoulder.

  


The ladies read the clippings together, as Keigo arrived out from his room with a tray of iced tea. He overlooked at the clippings and quickly pointed his finger. "What the— Mion, isn't… wasn't… that…?"

  


"You met him too, Keigo-nii?" Era gasped, with Mion nodded slowly. She grabbed her chest in agony after she read the articles. "But the dates on these are like years before we entered the Royal Academy though... like seven years before? We were still kids back then."

  


"They didn't even give him a name," Keigo sighed deeply. He sat right next to Mion as he continued reading the clippings. "What's this? An unsolved cold case that took place in our old school? How come this is the first time we've heard of this?"

  


"I don't know either," Kise sighed. "They even referred him as _John Doe_ because no one could even identify him when they found him—— stabbed and buried at the grounds around the academy's library. I worked as a volunteer at the academy library too as an integrated student at the HSSF program, but no one's even mentioned this."

  


Mion quickly wiped her tears while she gently wiped the dust off of the murdered student's photo. Keigo handed her a piece of facial tissue. "That's why… that's why he rejected me when I confessed to him…"

  


"Sucks being a _reishou_ sometimes," Keigo shook his head. "It sucks, especially if you're sensitive to wandering spirits that sometimes you can't tell whether they're already dead or just plain pale-skinned."

  


"You and Mion have stronger _reishou_ powers than the rest of us, but some of us can feel invisible presence," Era joined in the sighing. "Me, Lin-nii, Kosuke-nii, we can see spirits, but we can't hear any voices of these ghosts, so we had to resort to some sign language. We just didn't have enough _reishou_ powers born with us to hear their voices. You two though… you guys are the real deal _reishou tantei_ among the agency."

  


"We weren't the only _reishou_ back in school, Era," Mion frowned. "It wasn't just me and Keigo here… and also, it wasn't just me and Keigo who were able to see and talk to him…"

  


Keigo nodded and turned to his adopted sister. "I saw him too, Mion, so I believe you. Poor dude… Too bad he's really handsome, like a prince. No wonder he broke your heart… we all know it's just impossible in the first place if we only knew who he really was and why he wasn't in any of the school records at all." He rested his back on the seat, crossing his arms.

  


"Yeah," Keigo continued. "There is no cure or spell that can bring back the dead."

  


"Even then… even when he had to reject you, Mion-nee, there was someone who was a lot more… caring and sweet… _and very much alive_ than him…" Era sighed again. "He was the other person besides you and Keigo-nii who can see and communicate with him, but because of safety and confidentiality, we all swore to secrecy not to talk about the third person and not to talk about the victim's ghosts."

  


"Two," Mion corrected. "Besides Keigo and me, there were two more who saw and heard him with us. But their identities have become a lot dangerous because of this stupid law against the _reishou_ …"

  


"It's not the empire's law, Mion," Keigo corrected with the latter statement. "It's that stupid religion's law that's predominant throughout the empire."

  


" _Reishou_ and Royalty don't mix together," Kise muttered, sighing.

  


"Yeah," Keigo frowned. "The third _reishou_ who saw him with us… that didn't work out either."

  


"And it hurts even more when it comes to our third _reishou_ …" Mion led out a deeper sigh. "And what's worse? He is about to get engaged very soon…"

  


Keigo patted his sister's hand. "We were still teens back then, so we didn't know what we were dealing with at that time. Your crush is obviously impossible… the third _reishou_ who was with us really cared for you a lot. If it weren't for his stupid pedigree background and everything else, he would've been the one for you, Mion."

  


Mion wiped off a tear from her eye. "Thanks for that, Keigo."

  


Both Era and Kise embraced their teary-eyed friend for her failed young romances back in those innocent high school days. Mion learned how to be a lot tougher and a more serious professional when she earned her degree and colors and earned her license and badge as a full-pledged _reishou tantei_ of the Empire of Mirukan, but she finds herself weeping in sadness whenever she thought of the two boys she got herself mixed up with.

  


Kise placed her empty tea on the reception table and stood up. "Well, I must be heading home now. I have to get up early and open the library first thing in the morning. Maybe you guys should consider opening this case again, for that poor guy's sake. I just wish we all have the answers as to who murdered him and the motives behind his killing."

  


"The Royal Academy isn't within our jurisdiction, Kise." From behind, Kosuke arrived on the scene after overhearing their chat. "Huh… I knew it was strange that his name wasn't anywhere in the yearbooks or at the school records. Not even the crazy rich kids can't even retrieve any information about him. Poor guy… a wandering ghost who can't really have his rest in peace. Poor guy… he's stuck in the living for good unless we find out what really happened to him."

  


Mion sighed once more and turned to Kise. "Thanks for stopping by, Kise. We'll definitely consider… putting him to rest… if the school would at least give us a chance to reopen this case and really do put him to rest…"

  


They exchanged their goodnights, as Kise made her way out the door. Meanwhile, Syoya also arrived with his backpack and making his way to the door as well.

  


"I'll be on my way home now too," Syoya bowed to the detectives. "Sleep well, detectives."

  


"Thanks for joining us tonight, Kimata."

  


"See you tomorrow."

  


Right when the Rairas were the only ones left, Keigo and Mion also shared their goodnights. The agency office may be five floors, but the top two floors were also the Raira Siblings' condominium. Their retired detective parents, Goro and Jun Raira, remain living in a single home at a neighborhood around three blocks from the main business area of Yamabe.

  


"I'm gonna make some coffee for me and Lin-nii," Era stood up, as Kosuke placed his hand on her shoulder. "Yasu-nii?"

  


"Lin is done setting up his system. Go join him and start working on that coded letter. I'll make the coffee for you guys."

  


"Thanks, Yasu-nii." The two siblings made their way to their tasks, knowing that cracking the decoded letter from the Royal Capital may take all night to break.

  


Once the lobby area was cleared, Kosuke gazed down the newspaper clippings still sitting on the lobby table. He sat down at one of the seats and picked the folder up. He began to read the clippings pasted on the pages. However, the first thing he noticed were the dates.

  


"Huh… this is even more shocking than ever. Mion's first crush in high school… who all this time has been dead… has been dead since we were kids…" He placed his finger and gently rubbed on the date of the newspaper clipping.

  


"April 9, huh? Then three days later, the Yamabe Raid happened…"

  


He closed the folder and took it with him to his office. Once he sat down on his seat, he felt a vibration on his smartphone. He quickly looked on the screen, then answered.

  


"Mame," Kosuke cleared his throat. "Why are you still up?"

  


_"Captain Yasu… I can't sleep. I'm too excited!"_

  


"Kid, you still got school tomorrow, you can get excited all you want then because you're a Royal Academy LEF-er now."

  


_"No, it's not just that…. it's the short mystery story that you sent me earlier! The one that you guys solved in ten minutes during your first day of school there. I **really** want to know how you guys figured out. Well, I figured it out already."_

  


"You got the answer already, Mame?"

  


Issei chuckled nervously from his side. _"The secretary did it."_

  


"What makes you think it's the secretary?"

  


_"Isn't it obvious? Why would this short mystery reveal about the financial papers he was working on while he was murdered instead of the victim's cross-examined personality and lifestyle? Right? And if you wanna know what that person was working on, you won't be able to see when you're standing in front of him unless if his desk was very clean… you'd have to be behind him and looking over his shoulder to see what he was working on."_

  


"Smartass," Kosuke snickered. "Very good though."

  


"Waah~ I got it right? Yes!"

  


"You're well-prepared for the LEF Program, Mame. I'm proud of you."

  


"I only learned from the best, Captain Yasu, you know that," Issei chuckled while remaining his usual humble self. "So, can you tell me how you guys figured it out back then that got the entire LEF class get special rights to sit at the second floor of the cafeteria?"

  


"You really aren't gonna give up, do you?" Kosuke snickered. "Fine, fine. Just listen and don't fall asleep, alright?" He cleared his throat once more and began his story.

* * *

  


### The short mystery that the Rairas solved in ten minutes some 7 years ago…

  


_A well-known accountant was found dead in his office. He was found with his throat slit, slumped on his desk, just as his secretary arrived for the start of the shift. The police informed the detective that when they inspected the victim, they found that the cut was clean, most likely using a razor or some kind of a surgical knife. There was nothing else legible of the documents he was working on, since they were all soaked in blood. If you think about it, if you were the only person present at work, you have no potential witnesses to protect you from any unsuspecting murderers._

  


_The colleagues were shocked after learning that this poor victim would have been so brutally murdered this way. There was no motive known that would get the accountant killed in the first place. The elder colleague said that the victim seemed stressed for awhile and were also rumors of some scandalous events, but the colleague himself had no personal troubles or grudges against the victim._

  


_The younger colleague was a little cooler, and noted that the victim brought the death to himself, but also hinted that the victim may not be the intended victim at all. He didn't know any strange foul play or any illegal business that could have motivated the killer to do this heinous crime._

  


_The secretary mentioned that the victim had been working on the usual finance spreadsheets and statements during the attack, and didn't know any other client under their firm whose affairs or involvement might stray to the murderer or may have given the act to kill._

  


_The killer's identity is among the three. Have you picked the right suspect?_

  


**THE RULES**

  


_1\. Read (and reread) the entire passage. Taking notes based on the passage is optional._

  


_2\. Solve the riddle, puzzle, or short mystery based on what you see written on the board._

  


_3\. Be sure to follow the instructions, especially the questions mentioned at the last paragraph._

  


_4\. Asking assistance from your classmates are allowed, but asking assistance from the teachers and staff are not._

  


_5\. Fill in the provided answer sheet with your name or your team's name (including names of all teammates), the time you began reading the passage on the board and the time you finalized your answer._

  


_6\. Submit your answer sheet to the Answer Booth._

  


_7\. Unless one has already solved the mystery on the same day or the original author of the riddle, puzzle, or short mystery has found a strange discrepancy at the pattern of submitted answers, the correct answer will be announced at the end of the week._

* * *

  


### Cafeteria Hall - Mirukan Royal Academy (7 years ago)

  


After a rather awkward private orientation class that the Raira Siblings had to attend as a result of the school transfer from the school they intended to enroll to the school that no commoner has ever dreamed of attending, they were finally given the long break during the regular lunch hours of their unexpected school, the empire's most prestigious secondary school known as the Mirukan Royal Academy. Awkward because the Rairas intended to attend the appropriate school in the Royal Capital for scholarship and low income students known as the Mirukan Integrated Academy. If they enrolled in any other specialty field, they would have stayed there. However, all five of them enrolled in the most difficult field of all, the law enforcement field, and even passed the numerous entrance exams they had to go through so they didn't have to take the general education courses.

  


Since the pillaging and massacre of the Border Region of the Mirukan Empire several years before, now known throughout the empire as the **Yamabe Raid** many of the surviving parents decided to adopt their neighbors' children after losing their own families to the bloody events that happened during the Yamabe Raid. Senior _reishou tantei_ detectives, married couple Goro and Jun Raira, hoped to increase their family in the future, but after giving birth to their only biological daughter, Era, Jun fell ill and was found infertile. They also adopted a barely year old toddler during Jun's pregnancy with Era when they found a dying hooded figure weakly knocking on the doors, passing on the abandoned child with him right in front of the detective agency's office door. By the time the married detectives tried to bring in the child's mysterious escort, the escort gave out his last breath with some whispers aiming at the child's new saviors. Never to have revealed the child's name, the Rairas provided their own name for her: Mion.

  


When the massacre and pillaging by pirates almost destroyed the towns around the border region including Yamabe, some years later, three of the former noble families who were disposed from the Royal Capital, were also murdered. These three families only had one son each, who were also under homeschool tutoring by Jun, a former public elementary school teacher. The names of the three noble sons spared from murder were Lin Usugi, Kosuke Honda, and Keigo Sato. Two years after living with the Rairas, the three orphaned former noble boys decided to change their family names to Raira, abandoning their noble linage, and have been using the Raira family name since then.

  


Thus, the five Raira Siblings, Lin being the oldest of the five, were born and have been stuck to one another like glue. Because of Lin's silent and somewhat aloof personality, many mistake Kosuke, the more outspoken one, for being the oldest of the adopted siblings.

  


Now in their new proper black, gray, and white-colored Mirukan Royal Academy school blazer uniforms, they arrive at the entrance of the cafeteria hall. The black color of their uniforms indicate that they are law enforcement field (LEF) students. The students who are in other fields had their uniform colors as navy blue for science, crimson red for history and social studies, and goldenrod yellow for the arts. They've gathered some information from fellow students about the cafeteria and were already informed about the Weekly Puzzle Teasers posted at the LEF board inside the cafeteria that all LEF students were required to solve by the end of the week, optional for non-LEF students who are interested in participating.

  


There was a crowd gathered around the LEF board, presumably taking notes and reading the first week's puzzle. By the time the Rairas finally got closer to the board, they hear a group of fellow LEF students discussing the riddle. One such student, a handsome, lanky young man named Sho Yonashiro, spotted the Rairas quietly reading the riddle.

  


"Huh," Sho muttered, curiously staring at the Rairas. "Never saw you guys here before. Looks like the LEF has more girls!"

  


The Rairas slowly turned to Sho, with his two friends behind him, Junki Kono and Tomoaki Ando, looking onward.

  


"Yeah?" Kosuke was the first to answer. "We weren't supposed to be here originally. But we're stuck here because we're LEF."

  


Sho chuckled softly. "Oh I see. Originally gonna attend the Mirukan Integrated Academy? Me and the boys here too."

  


"For reals?" The boys exchanged their greetings with bows and handshakes.

  


"Sho Yonashiro. Call me Yona. These two are my buds, Junki Kono and Tomoaki Ando. We're from the town of Carbonara, at the border region."

  


"Raira… Kosuke Raira. Yamabe, also at the border region. These four are my siblings."

  


"Eh? Really?" Junki gasped while he gazed at the faces of their new friends. Hearing Kosuke speak the word siblings, he pointed his finger at them. "But… y'all don't look alike?"

  


"Adopted," the other four siblings answered.

  


"Ah," Junki nodded. Right then, he gasped. "Wait, if you guys are adopted, then that must mean that you were—"

  


"Yeah. We were," Kosuke immediately answered.

  


"Man, sorry to hear that. At least y'all got adopted to a good family at least?"

  


"We're good. We all decided to bury it and even drop out names so we can start our lives over," Lin opened up from behind. "It's also for our own safety and the safety of our missing relatives who escaped."

  


"Understood," Tomoaki Ando joined in the conversation. "My family and I used to be from Yamabe. We were vacationing out of town when the Yamabe Raid happened. Since then, we moved to Carbonara and met these guys."

  


"Well, since we found each other," Sho interrupted, "and that we all got strong connections together outside this school, it's best if we just stick together. So far, the three of us and you guys are the only ones who are originally from the border region. The rest of the LEF consist of royalty and noble families all around the empire."

  


The border region students gathered closer together, as Sho whispered. "In fact, the rumored four candidates on becoming the next emperor of the Mirukan Empire are LEF students starting this year. It's a damn trip."

  


"So, we're practically surrounded by a bunch of snobs," Lin rolled his eyes.

  


"I dunno about the royalty though," Tomoaki added, "but we did come across some non-LEF noble students trying to pick fights at us… in the beginning."

  


"Pick a fight? For what?" Keigo asked curiously.

  


"For wearing these," Junki snickered, patting on his black blazer and slacks-style uniform. "They were wearing crimson uniforms and they originally aimed for LEF, but they all failed the exams." He continued to chortle while Sho and Tomoaki hushed him. "What? Ain't my fault they failed."

  


"So, some jealous losers who flunked the LEF entry exam," Lin shrugged. "Boy, we're in for a treat."

  


"Um, excuse me," Mion cleared her throat, turning right at the three Carbonara boys and changing the subject. "Um, what did you guys mean by… 'now there are more girls in LEF'?"

  


Sho gave a nervous laugh. "Oh, that. Well, you see, we all know the LEF program at Mirukan Royal Academy is the hardest to get into. Money, beauty, and status ain't gonna cut it in LEF, you know? After all, the LEF stands for _Law Enforcement Field_. They only want serious and wise students in their program regardless of where they come from. So yeah, the eight of us standing here right now are straight up legit."

  


"So far," Junki joined in, "there are only three girls in LEF before you and your sister came about. Two princesses, one of high noble birth."

  


"Uh-huh…?" The sisters muttered with aloof expressions.

  


"One of them is rumored to be the perfect candidate to be engaged to Crown Prince Youta, eldest son of the emperor and most likely the closest candidate as the next heir to the empire," Junki added, which caused the Rairas to give a short gasp. "Princess Mirai is from the Kingdom of Tenjikan. The one the entire empire calls the most beautiful princess of the entire universe, they said."

  


"Princess Mirai, I've heard of her," Keigo gave a light smile. "She was the Mirukan Girl Cutie of the Month last—" Just as he was about to blurt out what he was supposed to say, he stopped himself after realizing his brothers are staring at him. "Um… I saw the magazine cover of _Mirukan Maidens_ at the newsstand around the corner and…" Right away, he could see Kosuke's glaring eyes at him and gave him a fearful expression with his arms covering his head. "Don't hit me, Yasu-niki!"

  


"The others?" Mion asked further, interrupting her embarrassed brother while Kosuke ended up rolling his eyes.

  


"The second princess is Princess Mira, Prince Youta's and Prince Shin's stepsister from their father's second marriage to Empress Maira. Though she's never really been treated as a real sister, she and her other sister Princess Kala see themselves as candidates to be future brides of any of the four crown princes including their stepbrothers. However, Princess Mira has been rumored to be eyeing both Crown Prince Shin and Crown Prince Ruki." He cleared his throat and continued. "Neither of the princes are interested in her though."

  


"Ouch, that's gotta hurt," Keigo grinned, while the others shrugged.

  


"Dude, where on earth did you get all this info?" Tomoaki asked curiously, with Junki raising his hand to keep his friend quiet.

  


"The third girl is Lady Sanae Ishihara of the Noble Ishihara Clan. Her mother's side has relatives that are blood-related to an ancient royal bloodline that once ruled Mirukan ages ago, so she's another candidate. Rumors say Prince Shohei may be interested in her, but she too is eyeing both Prince Shin and Prince Ruki as well. She's got guts to go up against Princess Mira if you ask me.

  


Tomoaki gave a short chuckle. "Seriously, Kono, where on earth did you get all this info?"

  


"Psh," Junki snickered, "I still got family left in the Royal Capital and word spreads out really fast among royalty and high nobility. I'm just lucky I'm still alive today, plus they're all over the internet news outlets. Y'all need to learn how to read some news on your own, you know."

  


"Seriously though," Tomoaki coughed, turning his gaze at the Raira Siblings. "Since the crown princes and all of their childhood friends in their own friendship circle are the most popular in-crowd in this school, that means there's a lot of people who love to gossip about them all day. I suggest we Border Region folks stay away from them at all costs."

  


"Stay away at all costs?" Era wondered. "Ando-kun, don't you think _at all costs_ sounds a little too harsh?"

  


"Word is," Tomoaki whispered, "this is the first time that the Royal Academy has accepted students who are from the commoner class. I mean, you guys! You know how it is with a lot of people from the upper classes love to look down on the common people…"

  


"But they're LEF students like us," Era began to argue. "Eventually, we'd end up working together in some of the classes we take, right? There's no way we're going to end up avoiding each other or even staying away from them at all costs, especially if we're paired up or grouped up at random to do class projects."

  


"She's right also, guys," Sho nodded in agreement. "You're right, Era. Unlike the rest of the fields in the Mirukan Royal Academy, the LEF students aren't divided by levels. Regardless of age, background, or past education level, if you aced that LEF entrance exam that got your asses here in the Royal Academy's elite LEF program, we're all on the same level. Non-LEF students may try to look down at us, but fellow LEF students passing by all treat us as equals. They will do the same when they first see you at first glance, as long as you rightfully wear that black uniform." He cleared his throat for a bit and continued on. "No formalities, nada."

  


Sho continued on. "In each field, there are about 100 to 200 students total. Because this royal academy is very selective with their applicants, each field won't have much significant increase in their student numbers. LEF, on the other hand, for this year, is really sad. For this year, there are only thirty LEF students total, including the five of you."

  


"Thirty?!" Keigo gasped in shock. "Just thirty?? In LEF??"

  


"Thirty," Junki and Tomoaki repeated.

  


"Thirty is such… I mean, us Border Region students are already the minority, but an entire major program? So all of us LEF students are even a minority!" Mion exclaimed. "This is… really bad for the entire empire with the law enforcement field… No one wants to work and know more of the empire's laws and enforce them to those who have done any wrongdoing? Justice is doomed…"

  


"Right. Thanks for the tips, guys," Kosuke cleared his throat, changing the subject while reading the riddle at the posted LEF board. "So… what's all this?"

  


"Oh yeah, that," Sho coughed. "This is the weekly LEF riddle, puzzle, or short mystery. There is a new one posted every week. The professors and sometimes the senior students post one once a week. The ones senior students submit are needed to be approved by the LEF staff first. Thing is, no one knows who actually comes up with these puzzles."

  


"Okay. And?"

  


"So, all LEF students are required to solve these riddles, puzzles, and short mysteries by the end of the week starting from the day this was posted. This was only posted some twenty minutes ago. Non-LEF students are allowed to participate, but they get less perks if they solve it with the correct answer in comparison to the LEF students who do solve them."

  


"What perks?" Keigo asked curiously.

  


"I'll get to that later," Sho answered. "So, as of now, it's already known that the four likely candidates to be the next heir to the empire's throne enrolled in LEF. Well, it only makes sense because they are the chosen candidates for the next emperor after our current one after all. Anyway, there's a possibility that the four princes will also be submitting riddles, puzzles, and short mysteries such as this one without signing in their names themselves, but most likely, it will be the LEF staff and probably guest riddles from the alumni and professionals who are already in the field. If an LEF student solves any one of the princes' puzzles, riddles, or short mysteries will automatically allowed to be part of the princes' circle… that's what I was told anyway."

  


Kosuke raised an eyebrow. "The hell? That doesn't benefit us becoming future detectives. This is more like bragging points?"

  


Junki joined in. "We just heard these from some noble kids around campus. We don't really know if that's true or not. But yeah, we do get what they call star points… kind of like reputation points."

  


"That's just stupid," Kosuke rolled his eyes.

  


"Well, in any case, no one has figured out the answer to this short mystery yet," Tomoaki added. He pointed his finger at a booth inside the cafeteria hall, where they see a small group of handsome noble young men in black uniforms who are handling submissions coming from the students attempting to solve the weekly riddle.

  


"See those prince wannabes over there? Those guys are actually friends with the princes. They handle the submissions from the students and then they tally them on the paper board just behind them. The table below the board here is the answer sheet. You can solve this riddle as individuals or as a team. You write in the time you read the riddle and the end time when you decided and came up with the answer to the riddle. Over this corner up here, you write your name or your team name, whichever you decide. If you submitted the correct answer as an individual, as well as explaining how you came up with that answer, you will immediately get 50 points under your name. If you worked together as a team and you solve this together, each of the team members will get 50 points."

  


"The announcements for the correct answer will be at the end of the week," Junki added, "unless if they see one person or one team who submitted the correct answer that's questionable."

  


"We already submitted our answer, so we're done. We're just re-reading again and see if we can retract our original answer and submit a new one," Sho reminded.

  


"What? You can retract your original answer?" Keigo asked. "Isn't that kinda cheating… or unfair even?"

  


"Nah, not really. You only got one chance to retract and change your answer. Once you submit your second answer, that's it. You're done."

  


"Oh. Okay then."

  


"We might consider resubmitting a second answer still," Tomoaki continued. "I mean, if you read and re-read the riddle, don't you think there isn't that much info revealed? If you check out the tally boards, there's half and half on two of the three columns drawn there."

  


The Rairas turned towards the tally board and noticed that _Others_ column was left blank, while the first two columns marked "Older Colleague" and "Younger Colleague" have tallies almost equal to each other.

  


"Anyway," Sho nodded. "We're gonna find a table for us to eat. It's really crowded inside here so it'll be hard to find a table for the eight of us. If we do find a table, just go look for us."

  


The Rairas thanked their new friends, as they made their way through the crowd. The siblings turned back to the board, with Keigo taking one empty sheet of the answer form. "Let's figure this riddle out, Aniki."

  


"I still think this whole point system bragging points crap is BS," Kosuke shrugged, "but meh, let's do it anyway."

  


Keigo checked the time on the wall clock and began reading the riddle written on the board. From top to bottom and top again, they made sure they did not miss any detail from the short mystery. After looking through it for about two minutes, the siblings turned to one another.

  


"I have to agree with those guys that there's not much info to pinpoint who the killer is," Lin began his thoughts. "But for some reason, after reading and skimming this entire thing about four times, I feel like the answer is right in front of us. It's probably decoded within or something."

  


Kosuke gently rubbed his fingers onto the paper. "Lin-niki, this is ordinary paper. There ain't any _secret codes_ beneath all this."

  


"Oh, right."

  


"Hmm," Mion began to rub her chin, keeping her eye towards the riddle. "I'm just making guesses here, but I'll just assume that the victim was the first person to enter the office and start his shift, right? It doesn't say that there was already someone in the office ready to strike because it's just impossible. That killer would have to break through the locks of the office doors, which would make it obvious when the victim notices something strange in those locks, right?"

  


"Hm, the way I look at it though," Kosuke began his observation, "you'd be correct with that observation. But that also means that the killer isn't definitely a third party, so a firm client or even one of the police can't be the killer. It'd have to be someone internal, like a co-worker or a manager, perhaps?"

  


"Also," Keigo added, "murder weapon wasn't found either, but if it's a clean cut on the throat, it is possible that the weapon would be a razor or some kind of a surgical knife. Since none of the known suspects involved in this short mystery is a doctor or anyone licensed to mess with surgical knives, we can rule that surgical knife out. But every man has a razor to shave. It won't be a shaver, so it's a razor blade by itself. The killer will have to be an ordinary person, not a professional killer or assassin."

  


"At least now, we can rule out third-parties like disgruntled clients or shady police officers, based on the observations you guys had," Kosuke confirmed. "In the short mystery, there were more than five people introduced including the victim. We don't know how many police officers present, so we'll rule the police and the detective investigating out too. That leads us three suspects."

  


"Four," Mion corrected. "We can also rule out that it's a possible suicide too."

  


Keigo shook his head. "Can't be a suicide. If it were a suicide, that slashed neck wound on that poor victim's neck would be very, very messy. Like dude… It's written here that it's clean cut."

  


"Ah, that's right! I missed that!"

  


Kosuke turned to the submission table, where the line of students with their folded answer forms already increased and the tally increased between the two colleagues. The _Others_ column still remained empty. He turned back to the short mystery on the board until Mion suddenly pointed her finger at the second to the last paragraph.

  


"Wait… guys, this sentence bothers me. It kind of contradicts with the first paragraph right here. This says that the secretary stated that the victim was working on the usual finance spreadsheets and statements at the time he was murdered. But the first paragraph here says—"

  


"Aaaah!" The four other Raira Siblings gasped once they carefully listened to Mion's doubtful thoughts. Kosuke quickly hushed everyone from their excited reactions as he turned to Lin.

  


"Lin-niki, you got that?"

  


Lin quickly began jotting down on the answer form. "Crystal clear, Yasu."

  


"Looks like everyone's overlooked these very crucial piece, even if it sounded unimportant," Kosuke rubbed his chin."

  


"There is a problem though," Lin confirmed. "We don't know the motive why the victim has been murdered."

  


"Well, it doesn't really say that we have to explain the killer's motive. It only asks us who the killer is," Era reminded their elder brother.

  


"If you think about it," Mion added, "this is the school year's first riddle posted. As far as I know, they'd always start with something easy. And if they want more details, they would ask those questions too. For instance, what's written here, it only asks which one of the introduced characters in this story is the killer. It didn't ask why the killer did it and what the motive was. I'll just go with what this was written."

  


"Good point," Lin agreed. "Okay, writing the answer down now."

  


"Don't forget the end time."

  


After Lin wrote the answer, he checked the wall clock again and wrote the end time. He folded the form in half and lead the Raira Siblings to the line, where they will be submitting the answers. They waited about two minutes until they finally got to the table. At the table, three handsome, noble-looking young men in black uniforms around their age faced their next clients ready to submit their answer.

  


"Huh," the male student with silver hair muttered, gazing directly at the Raira Boys. "I've never seen you five here before. First day?"

  


"Yeah. Orientation Day for us today," Lin answered with a steady voice.

  


"Ah, more integrated academy transfers," the silver-haired student smiled. "But judging by your new uniforms, you five are with us."

  


"I guess so," Lin shrugged his arms.

  


"So," the male student sitting next to him with the green-streaked dark hair spoke. "You came up here because you've got your answer to the riddle at the LEF board?"

  


"That's what we're here for," Kosuke answered, with Lin handing the folded answer sheet to him. With that taking place, Kosuke also observed the faces of the male students behind the short mystery submission table, as well as the names on their designated name tags.

  


_Ren Kawashiri, silver-haired guy…. Fumiya Sano, green-streaked dude. The dude behind us tallying down the answers, the pinked-haired one… Takumi Kawanishi…_

  


"Right," Fumiya Sano took the folded sheet from Lin's hands and unfolded it, showing it to both Ren and Takumi. " _Raira Family_ , huh? So you're a team of five."

  


"Siblings?" Ren asked curiously.

  


"What do you think?" Kosuke asked in return.

  


"You guys don't really look-alike," Takumi pointed his marker towards the Rairas.

  


"Adopted," the siblings answered in unison.

  


"Ah, got it." Ren gave a smile and began to type on his touchscreen tablet, searching for the general vital information about the names included in the answer sheet. "I know there are photos in your school profiles, but sometimes they're not taken properly, so we'll have you confirming your identities along with your school ID."

  


"Ain't our name tags not enough?" Lin asked curiously.

  


"We're being watched by the faculty and staff," Fumiya reminded them. "They like to do everything by the book, so we don't have a choice."

  


The Rairas shrugged their shoulders, as Ren continued to search for each of the five profiles. Right then, Ren nodded. "Okay, found your profiles. The Raira Siblings— parents' names are Goro and Jun Raira, border region detectives, Precint #34SN. Five children from the oldest: Lin Raira, Kosuke Raira, Keigo Raira, Mion Raira, and Era Raira. All come from a small town called Yamabe at the Border Region of the empire, all of you homeschooled by your parents. Amazing!"

  


"Thanks," Kosuke answered in surprise.

  


Ren stood up from his seat and offered a handshake. "Welcome to the Mirukan Royal Academy, Law Enforcement Field. I'm Ren Kawashiri, LEF Student Council President. The one next to me is Fumiya Sano, vice president. The one behind us is Takumi Kawanishi, secretary."

  


They all exchanged their introductions and handshakes. Sho Yonashiro was right, the Rairas thought. At first glance in the black, gray, and white-schemed school uniform, fellow students in the same uniform will immediately treat them as equals.

  


"Good luck with this riddle," Fumiya said. "The Dean of the LEF was the one who wrote that short mystery."

  


"The LEF Dean?" Kosuke blinked in surprise. "As in Dean Hiroyuki Yabe?"

  


"The one and only," Fumiya answered. "We're even baffled with that riddle also, so I hope your answers would give the first 200 points to the LEF."

  


"Wait, if someone from the LEF answers that riddle correctly, we get extra 200 points to the LEF?" Keigo blinked.

  


"Everything here is points-based system. We're all united under one school, but at the same time we're also rivals against other fields," Fumiya continued to explain. "See those other students wearing different-colored rainbows? We can be friends, but when it comes to competition period, we're all rivals. I suggest all five of you stick to us, no matter what."

  


"Huh, I see," Lin rubbed his chin. "I see why some noble students were trying to pick a fight on our new friends earlier…"

  


"That always happens," Ren sighed. "Just ignore them."

  


"A lot of them like to suck up to us though," Takumi joined in, "namely because the three of us and the rest of our closest friends are childhood friends with the Crown Princes. Everything here is all about reputation and bragging rights. I know you guys are still new, but it's best you don't get involved in stuff like these. The rest of us here, we're used to it."

  


"Uh, thanks for the tip," Kosuke frowned. Right then, he noticed a small locked gate leading towards the second floor of the cafeteria hall. "Hey, what's with that locked gate?"

  


Ren gave his answer: "The school had to lock the gate leading to the second floor. The Crown Princes, the princesses, and those included in what they call the 'Royal Princes Circle' eat lunch up there. The royal servants can only limit the second floor to those members, unless the princes themselves invite someone outside the circle to dine upstairs with them too."

  


"Well, that's dumb," Mion frowned. "I mean the first floor is crowded and there's no more seats and tables. How on earth are we gonna dine in peace when there aren't any seats?"

  


The conference rooms over there on the first floor are open and empty," Fumiya pointed his finger at a series of doors just underneath the stairway to the second floor. "For some reason, no one wants to eat there, but they're all open and free."

  


"Thanks for the tip."

  


Ren handed the answer sheet towards Takumi. "You five siblings may be new, but you're our only hope. Thank you."

  


"Thanks to you all also!" They bowed to each other with respect, as the Rairas made their way to the line with their empty trays, ready for the cafeteria staff to hand them their lunch plates.

  


The Rairas spotted Sho and Junki at the end of the line. They recently picked up their dishes from the cafeteria booths. They still haven't found their seats yet, but when the Rairas made it at the end with their trays full, Kosuke informed them of the empty conference rooms on the first floor.

  


"Those guys at the answer booth told you that?" Junki gasped. "They didn't say anything to us or anyone."

  


"You didn't ask," Kosuke reminded him immediately.

  


"Oh. You got a point."

  


Moments later, Tomoaki arrived with his tray, giving his friends his thumbs up. "Okay, resubmitted our revised answer."

  


"Good. We can eat at the vacant conference rooms over there near the stairway. At least we'd have some peace and quiet when we eat."

  


The Rairas and their three new border region friends made their way to one of the conference rooms. As they pass by the answer booth, Kosuke spotted Takumi writing two tallied ticks on the paper board at the _Others_ column. By the time they settled at the conference room seats and began dining their lunch, Kosuke gazed immediately at Sho.

  


"I see you changed your answer to the _Others_ column now," Kosuke made a note after witnessing Takumi writing the tally ticks earlier.

  


"Oh. You knew, Raira?"

  


"Kosuke. Don't confuse yourselves with my siblings," Kosuke reminded Sho. "But yeah. I just saw Kawanishi write two tally ticks on the board under the _Others_ column."

  


"Eh? You did?" Tomoaki blinked. "Wait… Kawanishi?"

  


"Pink-haired dude tallying the answers," Lin nibbled on his bread.

  


"Well, we'll worry about the answers later," Mion reminded everyone in the room. "I'm starving, let's go eat!"

  


Just as the rest were about to take a bite, they hear a loud voice calling out that interrupted their dining:

  


"NO WAY!! IS THIS FOR REALS?!"

  


Right then, they hear some random commotion going on outside their conference room. Rather than bothering what was going on with the noises outside, they proceeded along with their dining. About ten minutes through their dining, they hear the door of their conference room slamming open, startling everyone inside.

  


"Aha! Are you the Raira Family Team and the SixPacks Team?!" A random student in the red uniform appeared, asking for the team names.

  


"SixPacks Team?" Kosuke blinked, turning to Sho with curiousity. "Y'all got six packs?!"

  


"Uhh… I think they want us outside right now, Kosuke," Sho smirked.

  


"Naw, I'm serious, Yona, y'all got six packs?!"

  


"Yasu-nii," Mion nudged him on the side. "No one cares about guys having six packs—"

  


"Ouch…" The three SixPacks friends showed both shocked and cringing expressions.

  


"Whoa, that really hurts, Mion," Keigo joked, gently pressing his abdominals with one hand.

  


"Keigo, you got none," Lin immediately reminded him.

  


"That hurts even more coming from you, Lin-niki…" Keigo pouted with a sigh.

  


Mion shook her head. "Look, can we just show ourselves right now before we get in trouble? Come on!"

  


Right then, the eight students slowly exit their conference room with both curious and aloof expressions of their faces. At the answer booth, a few of the black-robed LEF administration members were present, with one at the center holding two folded answer sheets from the Answer Booth. Because Kosuke witnessed Takumi's marks on the board, he assumed quickly that these must be the answers that chose the _Others_ column.

  


"Dean Yabe, here they are," the red-uniformed student presented them. All those in commotion suddenly fell silent. At the balcony of the second floor, many of the nobles, most of them in black uniforms, were onlooking right from above.

  


The middle-aged but still fit Dean Hiroyuki Yabe strutted around the area, opening the two folded answer sheets at the same time. "The Raira Family Team and the SixPacks Team," he spoke. Quickly, he snapped his head at the eight border region students. The students nodded and bowed.

  


"You two teams are hereby announced for the obvious reason, and I'm sure you all know of it." The eight nodded quickly, as Yabe handed the folded papers to Kosuke and Sho.

  


"We would like you to take the podiums here next to the board and clearly explain why you chose the _Others_ column and decided to get away from the majority answers here," Yabe reminded them. "Have one representative from two respective groups to come to these two podiums and explain to everyone present why you and your team chose this answer. In the middle of this, you two may end up going through a debate for five minutes. Afterwards, I, the author of this week's first short mystery, will reveal the correct answer."

  


The students surrounding the cafeteria area broke into another surprised commotion, surprised to hear that the only reason why the dean decided to have a debate between Sho and Kosuke was obvious. One of them, or both of them, have come up with the correct answer to the short mystery.

  


Deciding by themselves, Kosuke and Sho stepped forward right in front of the dean. Yabe gazed at their name tags on the uniform. "Sho Yonashiro of the SixPacks Team and Kosuke Raira of the Raira Family Team. Well then. Thank you for volunteering. Please go on to the podiums — Yonashiro-kun on the left, Kosuke-kun on the right."

  


The boys faced one another first, bowed and shook their hands, then took their respective podiums, with Dean Yabe being the mediator. The volunteers at the answer table stepped out and let the dean stand behind it. Dean Yabe presented Sho as the first of the two to present his team's conclusion.

  


"My friends and I came up with a third party, namely, a client, the office's landlord, or a janitor." Sho began his answer, which somehow gave Kosuke a slight cringe on his body.

  


_How the hell did they come up with that from the clue?_ Kosuke placed his fingers on his chin. Sho continued on.

  


"Let's just say, based on the colleagues, the victim may have gotten mixed up with some trouble with someone he's closest too. It can be any one of those three, but I lean more towards the landlord and the janitor. Being the owner of the building the firm office is located, he has all access to all the offices. Maybe there's a rental fee issue or something. Because the victim is an accountant, wouldn't he be responsible, not just with the client accounts of their firm, but because he's also responsible for the firm's expenses as well?"

  


Kosuke began to scratch his head. _How does this guy know how many employees are in that firm in the first place? Let alone how many of the employees were actually present before, during, and after the murder?_

  


"The janitor may be innocent, but because he may be naive with the ongoings within that firm office, the client who may have a grudge against the firm itself or one of his accountants may have duped the janitor into letting that client in first before the said accountant arrives for his shift. Since information is lacking with the written short mystery, I decided to make some assumptions of the causes that this may be possible. That is why we chose the _Others_ answer choice."

  


Kosuke found himself burying his face against the surface of the podium, some students began to wonder Sho's theory, while the rest of the Raira Siblings also began to question Sho's answer.

  


"If I can recall the rules," Mion rubbed her chin, "it said that we have to come up with the correct answer based on what was written on that short mystery, as is."

  


"What does that mean, Mion?" Keigo asked curiously.

  


"It means our answer should only be based on what was provided from that short mystery. The SixPacks like— made a lot of stuff up! There were only four people present in the crime scene besides the detective and the police."

  


"Maybe they drew that conclusion as part of a confusion method against the police?" Era shrugged her arms.

  


"No, Era. They just made all those stuff up!" Mion sighed, with Lin patting his younger sister on the shoulder.

  


"Raira-kun," Dean Yabe turned to the his left, where Kosuke still buries his face against the surface. "Do you have a rebuttal against Yonashiro-kun's theory?"

  


Kosuke sighed and raised his hand, still with his face buried against the podium surface. "Plenty, Dean Yabe."

  


Sho crossed his arms with a smirk on his face, as Kosuke looked up, gazing at him. "Let's hear it, Raira-kun."

  


"Right." Kosuke cleared his throat. "Yonashiro-kun, I know we just met moments ago, but where the hell did you come up with all that _crap_?" The students gasped at the very minor cursing, as the presenters hushed them.

  


Sho gave a chuckle and smirked. "Crap? Are you serious, Raira? Did you even think of a possibility that the killer actually escaped before the secretary arrived to find her boss drowned on his own pool?"

  


"I'd slap your face just to get rid of that smirk of yours if you don't let me point out all your own booboos from your theory like that, Yonashiro."

  


"I'd like to see you try, Raira. Then we'll see who'll have the last laugh. You're right in front of the empire's most elite and the strongest of all the royal families, yo. You _really_ don't want to get yourself and your siblings embarrassed in front of them."

  


Kosuke chuckled in response. "Is that a threat, Yonashiro? I'd slap your head right then and there if I turn out to have the correct answer, how about that?"

  


The two students at the podium kept silent with slight sneering expressions on their faces.

  


Dean Yabe hushed the breaking the commotion, with the Raira Siblings facepalming themselves at their brother Kosuke's unnecessary remarks. "We're here on a friendly debate, not a smackdown. Please, proceed your rebuttal, Raira-kun."

  


"Right, sorry," Kosuke coughed. He proceeded with his rebuttal: "Now, I agree with Yonashiro-kun about a third party being the killer, but I don't agree that the third party would be someone who isn't mentioned on the short mystery itself. I mean, yeah, it's obvious it lacks info, but that's how it's written," Kosuke continued. "First of all, accounting firms aren't always the small-town types where they're renting an office space in a building. There's some accounting firms that own a frickin' tower in a large-scale urban city. The short mystery given to us introduced us three witnesses, but it didn't say they're the only employees working in that particular firm office. That means, you can't say that there's even a landlord that's hanging around that building twenty-four-seven, plus seriously, a janitor? I'd get that janitor fired if I find out he'd let some stranger inside the building I own, so nah. I don't agree with Yonashiro-kun's theory."

  


"Well then," Dean Yabe answered, "please share us your team's theory to this short mystery, Raira-kun."

  


"Certainly," Kosuke smirked, clearing his throat. Once everyone within the area fell silent, he gazed directly at everyone gazing at him. He even looked up at the balcony to notice a few different faces gazing right at him. The faces seemed to have bring out a certain glow of gold, silver, and the colors of heaven once he met their eyes.

  


_Must be the strongest royalty throughout the empire_ , Kosuke thought. He faced forward again, and gave a soft slam on the podium's surface.

  


"The answer's right in front of our eyes, folks," Kosuke began his and his siblings' theory.

  


He headed to the whiteboard behind the answer booth where there is a handwritten version of the same short mystery found on the entrance bulletin board. He took a red whiteboard marker and drew an underline. Then, scrolling to the near bottom, he underlined the paragraph that mentioned the secretary and the statement of the papers the accountant was working on before he was slashed to death.

  


"That's it." Kosuke returned back to his podium. Reactions came from those watching, with Sho scratching his head.

  


"What's that got anything to do with it? You better explain yourself, Raira," Sho raised an eyebrow at him.

  


Kosuke glared back at his opponent, then sighed. "Just read those two statements that I underlined and you already know my theory."

  


Everyone fell silent and did as Kosuke instructed. Sho frowned and also read the statements. Many re-read them again as they didn't understand Kosuke's point. Right then, at the onlookers at the second floor.

  


"Aaah! No— no way!" The youngest of the four crown princes onlooking, Crown Prince Shohei, exclaimed with eyes widened. "I get it! Like… what on earth?!"

  


"Same," his much quieter older brother, Crown Prince Ruki, nodded along. "There is a contradiction with those two sentences. Genius!"

  


"Those siblings have sharp eyes," Prince Ruki's best friend, Crown Prince Shin, standing next to him, gave Kosuke a soft applause.

  


The oldest of the four, Crown Prince Youta, looked over at the bottom floor, then turned to his personal guard. "Name of that student with the red hair at the podium?"

  


"You weren't paying attention, Your Highness?" His guard blinked in surprise.

  


"I got interrupted by a pointless phone call, I didn't hear his name!"

  


"My apologies, Your Majesty. Raira… Kosuke Raira. He and his siblings were the ones who came up with the answer."

  


The redheaded prince gazed back right at the debate again, then turned to his fellow princes. "The Dean is very clever with this short mystery."

  


"Are you saying you didn't understand the answer, Aniki?" Prince Shin nudged his older brother with a grin.

  


"I wasn't paying attention, Shin."

  


"Better keep an eye out— there's someone out there outside royalty and nobility who's a lot more quick-witted and smarter than you—"

  


"Whatever," Youta rolled his eyes as the three princes laughed along.

  


Back at the first floor, everyone finally understood why Kosuke drew red underlines. Sho eventually understood the contradition, then slapped himself on the forehead. "I see that there's a contradiction between those two sentences. While most of us were figuring out the victim's hidden life that may have caused the killer to finally do his dead, you paid attention towards the papers he was working on…? Explain yourself, Raira-kun."

  


"Certainly," Kosuke smirked. "The first paragraph alone already gave us what we need with this short mystery. It looked like it was lacking a lot, which got everyone really confused, but that first paragraph already described how the murder scene looked like. When fresh blood is soaked on paper, everything that's printed on paper will either dissolve or simply just erased by the thick red color." He paused and pointed the marker on the second to the last paragraph.

  


"How on earth did the secretary know what the victim was working on at the time he was alive? He couldn't. There was no way you can tell what papers the victim was working on just by sitting on your own desk and looking at him. The secretary's desk is normally far away from the boss they're working for. Sometimes, they have their own office away from their boss as well. Even if they stood up and take a little peek, they still couldn't see the types of papers that accountant was working on."

  


Quickly, Kosuke grabbed Sho from his podium and sat him on one of the chairs behind the Answer Booth. He then turned towards one of his siblings and new friends. "Let's see… ah, Kono! From where you're standing, can you see what papers that's in front of Yonashiro right now?"

  


"Uh, where are you getting at, Raira?" Sho blinked curiously.

  


"Can't see anything from here," Junki scratched his head.

  


"Now, move closer until I tell you to stop."

  


Junki followed as Kosuke said until he heard the signal. He was now standing about half a feet away from the Answer Booth, then he reached for his eyeglasses case in his pocket and wore his pair of eyeglasses. Kosuke asked him the same question.

  


"A little bit, but I still can't tell… Nope, I still can't see it."

  


"So, after trying to take a peek at what papers were in front of Yonashiro, you still can't see anything."

  


Junki shook his head. "Mind you all, I have my glasses on. I still can't see what was written in those papers even though I'm a lot closer."

  


"Exactly," Kosuke smiled. "Now, final question, Kono. How can you see the papers if you can't see it from both places while you're facing Yonashiro?"

  


"You can't," Junki chuckled. "Unless if I stood right behind Sho, and right very close to him, I'd be able to see the papers in front of him."

  


"There you go," Kosuke smiled once more. "Thanks for your help, Kono."

  


"Sure, no prob." Junki grinned and headed back to his spot again, but by the time he got back, his eyes widened with realization the point that Kosuke was trying to make earlier. "Wait— what— no way! I get it now!"

  


Dean Yabe turned right at Kosuke. "I know you prefer showing than telling, but since not everyone present can comprehend very well, please do your best explaining with words."

  


Kosuke got back to his podium and slammed his hand on the surface, with Sho heading back to this podium. "The killer isn't just some random _others_ person. The secretary is the killer. He may seem to be an innocent coworker who just happened to find the victim dead on the spot, but he obviously made a miscalculation. If he was only a witness, there was no way he can tell what papers he was working on with his bloody body slumped like that. Even when the papers are already soaked in blood, there's no way you can tell what's printed on those papers right when they're blood-soaked. How did the secretary know what the victims working on? For all we know, the victim was being lazy and decided to write some random love letter or something, but the only way the secretary knew about the papers he was working on was when the victim was still alive, working on his usual duties.

  


"Once you get behind the busy victim, you have an entire view of his desk including the papers he was looking on. Poor accountant was way too concentrated with his work that there already was someone lurking behind him and his neck completely open and vulnerable for a razor clean cut. Just one very sharp slash of that razor on a vulnerable skin covering his neck and the victim is pretty much done for."

  


There was a pause, with many still with shocked expressions. Dean Yabe stood at the center and turned to Kosuke.

  


"Very good, Raira-kun. You have just found and arrested your killer."

  


Kosuke bowed to show his thanks, as the rest witnessing broke into applause and cheers. Dean Yabe began a short lecture to finish the quick debate, as well as explaining to the entire student body the most important tips and tricks into solving mysteries, puzzles, and riddles with very lacking information given to them. Just a little slip-up and a witness will come out as the murderer.

  


There were only fiftteen minutes left and they hear a small bell ringing that made everyone fall silent. One of the staff representatives standing at the second floor cleared his throat and began to speak.

  


"His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Youta, has an announcement about the rewards that The Raira Family Team will be receiving after a well job done with this week's short mystery."

  


The representative stepped away, as Youta stood at the middle of the railing, with his three fellow prince friends surround him. "Great job, everyone. I'd also like to give special recognitions also to fellow two LEF students, Sho Yonashiro and Kosuke Raira, for giving a different perspective on the short mystery. The princes and I have finally decided on the reward for solving this week's mystery.

  


"To be honest, the second floor has very limited seats, and the conference room up here has been reserved as the royal dining area. We also love being at the second floor, with all the beautiful views around. It's also quiet, serene, definitely a perfect place to dine, hang out with your friends, but most of all, to study." He turned towards the other noble-blooded students close to the royals but not wearing the same uniform colors.

  


"I'm sorry to announce this, but from this day forth, we would like the second floor cafeteria as our study area as well. There are us, four princes eligible to be the heir to the empire's throne, two princesses present, and the LEF students close to us, who are now dining at the second floor. And as you know, there are only twenty-five students who are in the LEF program— thirty now including the Raira Siblings who just entered the cafeteria for lunch.

  


"Therefore, as of today, this second floor now belongs to all thirty LEF students. To all our friends who are not LEF students, I'm sorry, but please move downstairs."

  


The scattered students in black uniform jumped up and cheered, with a few congratulating both the SixPacks Team and the Raira Siblings for solving this week's mystery. The non-LEF students with frowning faces climbed down the stairs with their trays, while the small number of LEF students dashed happily upstairs.

  


"Dude, our food's already cold," Keigo led out a deep sigh, staring at the open conference room where they were dining earlier.

  


"There's a fresh buffet upstairs that's reserved for the second floor friends." The LEF council president, Ren Kawashiri, passed by them, and offered his handshakes. "Let's eat, shall we?"

  


"Thanks, Kawashiri-kun," Kosuke nodded in content.

  


"Ren. Just Ren. There may be royals and high nobility among the LEF, but no one cares about formalities. Come on!"

  


Gleefully, the border students followed Ren from behind, climbing up the stairs to the second floor.

* * *

  


### The Raira Family & Deputies Detective Agency - Kosuke Raira's Bedroom (Present)

  


"Mame," Kosuke yawned, still on the phone with their young courier. "It's almost 1:00. Aren't you sleepy yet?"

  


"So, you're actually close friends with the RPC?" Mame continued on with excitement. "That's so cool! So, that means, you don't have to call them with formal titles like 'Your Highness' and all that, right?"

  


"Mame, go to sleep already. But in our thirty-only LEF class, we're all friends with each other. We're like a whole family right there. It was really sad when we all graduated and have to move on with our own chosen paths."

  


"How long have you been together as a thirty-only LEF class?"

  


"Eight years - three at high school level, five at university level. The students from the commoner class also went directly to Mirukan Royal University to continue on with the LEF program for the same reason. No one got into the university-level LEF for Mirukan State University, so they had everyone automatically transfer to the Royal University with all expenses paid. We were fortunate then."

  


"Captain Yasu, there's so much more that I want to ask. I hope I can make new friends and stick with then when I get to the Royal Academy soon."

  


"Mame, listen. It's not about the number of friends that you should think about. It's about becoming friends with the right people. Whether there's only one friend or ten friends, as long as they stay true to you and you stay true to them, that's all that matters."

  


"And also," Mame gave a soft chuckle. "You knew Sho Yonashiro and Tomoaki Ando, like straight up? I mean, aren't you afraid of the Shouran Rebels? They're co-commanders of the rebellion, right?"

  


Kosuke sighed deeper. "Mame, just because they're known names from the Shouran Rebellion, doesn't mean they're evil. They have their own reasons why they are going against the current government."

  


"But, since you guys are friends with the princes, wouldn't that be betraying friendship also?"

  


"Mame, it's not the princes they want to topple. It's the emperor and his council that they're after."

  


"Oh. Maybe I should read more about the Shouran Rebellion, their history and everything like that."

  


"You'll get to learn more about them when you start your schooling at the Royal Academy, Mame. Now go to sleep now before your parents get mad at you."

  


"Right, sorry. Well, thanks for your time, Captain Yasu. I had a wonderful chat. I hope you can tell me more stories about your Royal Academy adventures with the princes and the Shouran Rebel leaders one day. I want to hear more."

  


"Go ask Keigo, Mion, and Era about all that. They're the louder ones with stories."

  


"You're the loudest of them all, CAptain Yasu."

  


"Yeah yeah, shut up. Goodnight, Mame."

  


"Goodnight, Captain Yasu. See you tomorrow!"

  


Kosuke turned his smartphone off and made his way back to the cryptography lab, where he spotted Lin and Era already working on decoding the message that was sent to him from the Royal Capital. Era was already slumped on her desk sleeping while Lin also fell asleep on his desk. However, on Lin's desk were already scribbled notes in Era's handwriting. It seemed that she was already finished breaking the Royal Princes' Cypher into a group of jumbled letters.

  


On the screen of Lin's computer, he also noticed the decoder program already doing its work in breaking the entered code. Although the message hasn't been completely decoded yet, Kosuke gave a quiet yelp when he saw the first two paragraphs already decoded. He felt his hand gradually trembling at the words he just read on the screen.

  


_Inspector Captain Kosuke Raira and Detectives_

  


_Shouran Rebels will raid and attack the Royal Palace on the day of the Royal Princes' Grand Ball, approximately 19:00 hours. Abduction of the three crown princes by the Shouran Rebels will also occur on that same period._

  


_Leave the palace incognito at 19:00 sharp and be at the basement hall of the Crimson Prison Tower before 20:00. Instructions will follow…_


	3. The Reishou

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After decoding the coded letter sent to Kosuke by the Mirukan Empire's Royal Government, Mion and Keigo, the first of the Raira Siblings to become reishou, tell the story to the rest of the Precint #34SN team about how they became reishou, which ghosts they encountered first, and the other two fellow students who also became reishou but have not revealed their names yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the strange place/kingdom names by looking through my Kanji thesaurus. Some of the Kanji used for the names are archaic and can't be typed out, so I decided not to include the Kanji names for them.
> 
> Once again, some of the characters' ages are altered to fit the story.

### The Completed Decoded Message on Lin's Computer

  


_Inspector Captain Kosuke Raira and Detectives_

  


_Shouran Rebels will raid and attack the Royal Palace on the day of the Royal Princes' Grand Ball, approximately 19:00 hours. Abduction of the three crown princes by the Shouran Rebels will also occur on that same period._

  


_When the raid begins, leave the palace incognito at 19:00 sharp and be at the basement hall of the Crimson Prison Tower before 20:00. Do not get yourselves involved with the conflict and do not attempt to fight either side of the raid, not even the Shouran Rebels. Let the rebels kidnap the princes as planned._

  


_We know you very well, Inspector Captain Yasupon. Before you do start questioning, the abduction mission that the Shouran Rebels of the three of the four crown princes must succeed. It is to prevent the ball from proceeding this ridiculous attempt to the princes' engagement to some random ladies of high pedigree. It is also the only way for them to leave the palace walls and set them free._

  


_Once you arrive at the Crimson Prison Tower basement hall, be patient and wait for more instructions to follow._

  


_Approximately the next day after you receive this letter, you will receive six invitations to the Royal Princes' Grand Ball. The sixth invitation will be for your receptionist, Syoya Kimata. You will not need to spend your fortunes purchasing any formal clothing for the occasion. The Kawa-Kawa Law Office will provide you with everything you need._

  


_The Kawa-Kawa Law Office will arrive in Yamabe two days before the Royal Princes' Grand Ball via the River West Airship. Be sure to be ready with all your necessary equipment because you will need them for your investigation._

  


_Before this day comes, please do a few preparation assignments. There is one particular cold case that we need to reopen and solve it immediately before it's too late. But because we don't have enough evidences or information unless you investigate the area yourselves, you would need to do some research and pre-investigation knowledge of the case we have to open._

  


_Please look up in your library records or any other places you can find for these keywords: 'Murder of the Unidentified Student at the Mirukan Royal Academy.' Once the Shouran Rebels succeeded in the kidnapping of the three princes, the day right after, the reopening of this cold case will begin and investigation will proceed._

  


_To help you with your search, I have enclosed a photograph of the unnamed student in full color. One of the Royal Scholars stumbled upon this photo during one of his visits to the Head Seibara Temple Library the other day. I remembered the sketch Mion made when we were still back in school and this photo looked exactly the same. I've forgotten the poor student's name, but I'm guessing Mion, Keigo, and those who have seen him may know?_

  


_Please take heed and get ready. The results of this cold case will set an unexpected chain of reactions that will lead to the Fall of the Current Emperor, the Seibara Ecclesia, and possibly the entire empire itself._

  


_We feel a lot of envy for you because you live miles away at the Border Region. Those who live in the Royal Capital and its surroundings, even though they are thriving and wealthy, are mentally exhausted and trapped. Because of the things happening here, even us royals and high nobility have no jurisdiction to investigate the case ourselves. We have to rely on those outside the Royal Capital to investigate._

  


_Once the Royal Academy cold case has been solved, we can proceed to the next cold case: 'The Assassination of Empress Himawari,' the first wife and true empress of Mirukan. If we are unable to due to circumstances, we proceed with the next cold case, which, to some of you, may be sensitive about this._

  


_The Yamabe Raid - who are these so-called 'pirates and terrorists' that plundered and massacred so many innocent people including those of nobility and higher pedigree on that night? If they're really pirates and terrorists, they could plunder and kill any settlement nearby, but besides Yamabe, there weren't any reports of any other similar raids from all the settlements throughout the empire. Why is that? Why did it have to be your hometown?_

  


_Ah, I'm asking too much from you and your siblings, Yasupon. But word tells me that it's been months since you've closed your last cold case and there hasn't been any cold case assignments reopened because you had no leads. At least, please take a rest from your investigation work at your hometown and come and visit the Royal Capital and visit us your old friends. Well, I know it's not really rest and you're still working, but this time, you five won't be alone this time._

  


_I'm sorry that I have to double-encode this letter using the Royal Princes' Cipher and the old draft known as the Raira Family Code. I can't have this letter land in the wrong hands. I hope this letter reaches to you safely._

  


_We'll meet again when you get there._

  


_To Mirukan and Brethren be the glory!_

  


_(Royal Crimson Bear insignia stamp)_

* * *

  


### Precint #34SN - Computer Lab (Present - next morning)

  


Syoya arrived early at around 7:30 a.m. with a cardboard case of pancakes. Though the Rairas never really asked for extra tasks such us buying breakfast early in the morning and that Mion, Era, and Keigo would normally prepare their breakfast, Syoya was eager to prepare breakfast for them while they get themselves dressed and ready for work - whatever work that's needed to be done around the office and even outside and about around town.

  


Once Syoya placed the pancakes on the break room table, he felt a startle when he heard a squeal coming from the computer lab. Quickly, he dashed to the computer room to find all the Raira Siblings up, but with Keigo still in PJs and Mion and Era still with their night slips, fuzzy headbands, and moist face masks on their faces. All were gazing right at the computer screen with Lin sitting in front of it.

  


"Eh? Is… is that the coded letter, Captain Yasu?" Syoya gasped. "Wh-what does it say? Is it a very special top secret cold case that we're talking about here?"

  


Kosuke continuously rubbed his chin once he finished reading the entire letter, muttering. "So, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Youta wants the Shouran Rebels to abduct his younger brother Crown Prince Shin and his second cousins, Crown Prince Ruki and Crown Prince Shosei at their own grand ball." He paused and crossed his arms. "The hell is that mofo thinking?"

  


"How'd you know it came from Crown Prince Youta?" Lin asked curiously.

  


"The crimson bear insignia stamp says it all," Kosuke answered. "Each royal family member has their own specially designed insignia bestowed upon them since they're born. Shin has his own, Ruki has his own, Shosei has his own, you know the deal. They don't need to write their names by hand to sign in. They just need to stamp it." He turned right towards his siblings. "Besides, it's also a requirement for every Mirukan Empire law enforcement authority to memorize all the insignias. Y'all need to really pay attention!"

  


Lin frowned. "Sorry, it's not like I've forgotten, more like it's rare for us to receive letters like these from the royal government that I've forgotten which insignia stamp resembles who. Jeez."

  


"Did those four princes get into fights or something?" Keigo gasped. "I… I mean, they never fight. I mean they get misunderstandings but they always sorted things out in the end, but this? I wonder if the rivalries is finally coming on the surface."

  


"Rivalries? What? What are you talking about, Keigo?" Syoya blinked in confusion.

  


"You know, rivalries for that empire seat after the current emperor's gone… or maybe they fought over a certain princess that they all fell in love and want to get engaged to—" Keigo began to ponder with his fingers on his chin.

  


"Nah, Keigo. Not it. Those four are too smart and cool to fight over things like that," Kosuke shook his head. "This is deliberately planned ahead. Somehow, they had connections with the leadership of the Shouran Rebellion and made a deal somehow. This is what's sounding like to me. The princes, at least Crown Prince Youta, _want to be kidnapped_ during their own grand ball on purpose."

  


Syoya shook his head. "I know everyone in the empire thinks the Shouran Rebels are a bunch of pirates and terrorists, but resorting to actual kidnapping and worse, murder? That's not really their style. They rather kick everyone's asses until they're down and get them captured and make them as prisoners at some random place than resorting to kidnapping and murder."

  


"Exactly," Kosuke confirmed. "That's why I think the rebels are making a major suicide mission here by making a deal with the RPC. If you get caught abducting a royal, let alone attempting to kill one or worse, you're as good as dead."

  


Lin cleared his throat and joined in. "There's one thing that's bothering me since I woke up this morning and saw the program completing the decoding. How come _Seibara Ecclesia_ was mentioned here? What's that whack-ass religion got to do with all this?"

  


"The Seibara Ecclesia is the predominant religion of the entire empire," Mion spoke softly, as to not let the face mask land onto her mouth. "Because of some differences between the clergy members centuries ago, the ecclesia has been split into different divisions. Most of us practice the religion, but we belong to different divisions. That means that all of our beliefs based on the root Seibara Philosophy have different interpretations and are not the same."

  


Era tapped his sister to remind her that they were finished with the face masked and proceeded upstairs to finish their morning skincare. But before they did, Lin called out to his sister.

  


"Mion, you have a name for this poor guy. Can you at least tell us?" But before he finished his question, the sisters were already up the stairs.

  


"It's Kim," Keigo immediately gave his older brother the answer. "Yundong Kim."

  


"Yundong… Kim?" Lin gasped in surprise. "Wait, ain't that the name of Mion's first crush back in school?"

  


"Oi Aniki, I thought you didn't know about that Kim dude. Everyone at LEF knew about him back then!" Kosuke interrupted.

  


"Yasu, I know the name, but I didn't know he was… you know… dead…"

  


"Bro, you really don't pay attention at your surroundings back in school, do you?"

  


"The fuck, not like I enjoy listening to all that school gossip y'all were into."

  


"Yeah, whatever."

  


Keigo changed the subject. "At that time, none of us knew that he was all that time dead and have been a wandering ghost around the campus for who knows when. When we discovered our strong _reishou_ powers within us, we all realized years later that Yundong was the first ghost we encountered. Well, literally, he was the first ghost we encountered, but back then, we didn't know he was one. We had that really nasty encounter on that day…"

  


Lin gasped in shock and stood from his seat. "That prince-like mofo was already dead— before we even showed up in the Royal Academy? All this time, Mion had been head over heels for some _ikemen prince_ who's already dead? Now that's just scary and insane as fuck."

  


"Yo, it ain't a laughing matter, Lin-niki," Keigo frowned. "Most of us LEF students then knew about Yundong, but no one has actually seen him except for Mion, me, and two… others."

  


"Two… others?" Syoya gasped. "Who… two others? Ugh, that's all in the past, but can you give us more details? Like… you know… their names?"

  


Keigo gulped nervously and gazed right at Syoya. "I… well… we… have sworn to secrecy to keep their names secret."

  


Syoya crossed his arms. "I thought whatever's spoken in this office remains in this office, right? I've worked with you guys for three years already, you know how I am when it comes to secrets…"

  


Kosuke sighed deeply and gave him a stern look. "If word goes out about them being _reishou_ all over the place because of your big mouth, I'll not just fire your ass out of here, but I'll kill you right after, got that?"

  


Syoya gulped in fear. "I swear, I promise, Captain Yasu!"

  


Keigo blinked and turned to his inspector captain. "A-are you serious, Yasu-niki? You're actually gonna reveal their names to Kimata? I mean, you're actually giving permission for us to tell him the names of those two other _reishou_?"

  


"Well, Kimata's got a point. He's been our loyal receptionist for three years, so, why not?" Kosuke shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever's spoken in this office remains in the office, right?"

  


Lin scratched his head in confusion. "Since I'm the only one here who's seriously out of the loop, you're gonna have to explain to us about this Kim guy and the two other students besides you and Mion who actually saw him. Yeah, I get it, because of him, you all discovered that you're all _reishou_. I get it, I mean learning that you're a _reishou_ is normal, it's not like it's a curse or anything—"

  


"Lin-niki, you _do_ realize that in the LEF, there's only eight of us who were commoners, remember?" Kosuke reminded his aloof computer genius brother.

  


"Yeah, so? I mean being a _reishou_ has its benefits and—" Right then, Lin realized in his mind what Kosuke just said to hi moments ago. "Wait… wait… wait… holy shit! Those other two who saw that Kim dude's ghost are high nobility?"

  


"Way higher than high nobility but lesser than the gods," Keigo frowned.

  


"R-Royalty??" Lin gasped, as Keigo nodded slowly. "Oh shit…"

  


Kimata gulped nervously. "If… if the empire government and the Seibara Clergy finds out that there are _reishou_ among the Mirukan Empire's royal families, then they'll be good as—"

  


"Shh…" Keigo hushed Kimata quickly. "Look, okay. I'll tell you guys what happened… how we met Yundong Kim's ghost… and who were the other two people besides Mion and myself who first saw him."

  


Kosuke reached for the original envelope of his letter sitting on Lin's computer desk and reached inside. He must have missed the attached photo, but he eventually found the photo freshly printed on photo paper. He placed the photo of a high-definition, flawless old photo of the said _unnamed student_ mentioned in the decoded letter.

  


"Yup, that's him," Keigo pointed to the photo. "That's definitely him. Yundong Kim."

  


Kosuke shook his head, sighing. "Really bright and handsome kid. What a waste of life. He must have had so much hopes and dreams once he reached the right age. Sucks about it is that he's not exactly resting in peace."

  


"Yeah," Keigo frowned. "When we all graduated from the Royal Academy… we pretty much left him alone there by himself."

  


From behind, they hear Mion's voice interrupt them. She now appeared dressed professionally as a detective with her usual blouse and slacks and her shoulder-length rounded bob cut. "I think it's better if I tell them, Keigo. After all, I was with those two other _reishou_ longer than you were."

  


"Hm, oh yeah," Keigo grinned while scratching his head. "And you have a better memory of what happened on that day too." He blinked while pondering and then began tapping his finger on his chin. "By the way, Mion, what were you guys doing at the Muyoutake on that day anyway?"

  


Mion glared at her brother and took an empty seat, rolling herself next to Lin. "You _really_ don't remember why we were there at the first place, Keigo? It's because I was looking for your ass, that's why!"

  


"You were at the Muyoutake Grove…?" Lin blinked in surprise, with Syoya scratching his head. "After all the urban legends and shit about that place, y'all got serious guts in actually hanging around over there?"

  


"What's the Muyoutake Grove— oh!" Syoya gasped right away when he realized the name of the location. "Er yeah, I've heard of some stories from my old friends who went there. That's really… awfully… brave of you two to be at that place, Keigo, Mion."

  


Keigo deeply sighed. "I remember now. I'm sorry I stood you up, Sis. We were supposed to research together at the library for our first assignment… but some really cute girl left a love note in my locker and said she wanted to meet me at the right intersection walkway of the Muyoutake—" Mion immediately slapped him on the back of his head. "Ow!"

  


"You prioritized some lovesick girl over your sister?! This was all your fault in the first place, Keigo! We would've gotten an 'A,' but because I had to do most of the work and I got seriously exhausted, we got a B+ instead!"

  


"Oi, oi!" Kosuke hushed the two squabbling siblings. "Are you gonna tell Kimata and Lin-niki about how you and Keigo— and those two with you— became _reishou_?"

  


Mion cleared her throat quickly. "Er, right. But, as you can see, Keigo stood me up at the library and decided to meet that girl whoever instead. I marched out of the library and tried to call Keigo but he wouldn't answer. I was so mad at that time that I didn't realize that my phone was almost out of battery that I ended up not being able to call him anymore."

  


"Wait… when did this happen?" Lin blinked curiously.

  


"About a month after our first day of school," Keigo answered. "So, at that time, we're pretty much familiar and comfortable with each other, all thirty of us."

  


"Oh. Yeah, that was our first field assignment. Okay, continue."

  


"So," Syoya rubbed his chin, "how did you end up with having two more people with you?"

  


"Well," Mion began. "I threw a fit on my phone when it ran out of battery… didn't know what I was cursing and everything… until I was rescued when one of them handed me his phone so I can call Keigo then. Some girls from the other field programs got all pissed at me for no reason because of that."

  


"Er, why would some random girls be pissed at you? Because your phone ran out of battery? You just needed to call me, right?" Keigo blinked.

  


"Did you remember the caller ID that appeared on your phone screen that day, Keigo? Like several times?" Mion crossed her arms.

  


"Well, I— oh! Yeah! I get it! Man, Mion… what a truly kind and sweet Prince Charming, isn't he? I was gonna answer but he hung up before I was able to."

  


"'Prince Charming'? So… who was that, Mion?" Syoya asked curiously once more for the name of the one who lent her the phone on that day.

* * *

  


### Mirukan Royal Academy - Muyoudake (Forbidden Bamboo) Grove (7 years ago)

  


A month from the first day of school passed, and all generally seem well among the proud and serious students of the Mirukan Royal Academy. For the thirty-student count Law Enforcement Field (LEF) class, it only took them a few days for all thirty of them to become comfortable with each other. They even held school elections fairly with no objections or conflicts with one another. With Ren Kawashiri serving as the LEF student class president, they voted two student representatives for the school Student Senate to represent the LEF Class. Originally, many of them nominated the princes to be the representatives, both all four declined the nomination and the four princes instead nominated two names to represent them very well.

  


For the first time in Mirukan Royal Academy history that they have voted a commoner to be one of the student reps. The fiery Kosuke Raira was elected as the first student representative for LEF. The other one? Crown Prince Youta's girlfriend, the elegantly charming Princess Mirai.

  


During this period, the LEF students received their first class project. Their assignment was to create a presentation or write a research essay about a randomly picked topic from a class lottery that is related to the law enforcement field. Because they are only thirty students total, they were randomly split and paired into fifteen pairs.

  


Kosuke and Sho were paired up to work on the differences between Mirukan's own national set of laws versus the set of laws for the entire empire. Lin and a high noble young lord named Hiroyuki of Jacksonden were paired together to work on the impact of computers and technology in the law enforcement field. Era and Lady Sanae were paired to work on the history of cold cases. Lastly, Mion and her same-age adopted brother, Keigo, who randomly picked the history of the _reishou_ in Mirukan.

  


For their study hall hour, Mion and Keigo planned on meeting at the library to begin their research on the _reishou_. Unfortunately for the eager future detective, Mion discovered that her brother would not be coming to the library at all, as she already waited about fifteen minutes since the time they planned to meet. She already began taking some notes and making copies from reference books about the _reishou_ , but so far, she hasn't come up with what she needed.

  


She called Keigo several times on her phone but no answer. She didn't realize that her phone was already running out of battery because of her frustration and stress of being stood up. She thought that being stood up on dates is a normal occurrence, but standing up on your sister to study was something she can't tolerate at all.

  


She packed up her things and her copies and marched out of the library. At the same time, she continued on ringing Keigo's cellphone. Still, no answer.

  


"Ugh, can't believe we randomly picked _reishou_ as our topic. Keigo is so obsessed with ghosts and the supernatural I thought this would seriously interest him and pick up our very first 'A'…" Mion muttered to herself as she continued on speed-walking out of the library building and making her way towards the central square fountain area.

  


"Where the hell is that jerk anyway? What the heck's something more important than getting an 'A' on our first project? Effing… once I get my hands on him, I'll snap his neck, and when he decides to haunt me, I'll exorcise him and kill him over and over again!"

  


By the time she walked past the fountain, she began to dial her cellphone once more. While having trouble pressing the buttons, she halted right at the center of a trail leading to a thick bamboo forest ahead of her and then accurately began pressing the dial buttons. While her frustration towards her brother clouded her senses, she did not notice that there were several girls of different-colored uniforms squealing and gathering around an area in front of the fountain.

  


She was unaware that Crown Princes Shin, Ruki, and Shosei were present, resting while trying to do their own portions of their project assignment. Because of the popular interruption, the princes were forced to drop their books and notebooks to greet their female admirers surrounding them.

  


Meanwhile, she finished dialing her phone and heard the phone ringing once more. After letting it ring for some six times and still no answer, she pressed the red icon button to hang up. Right then, her screen suddenly turned black.

  


"What the—" She pressed the power button but nothing was happening. Out of frustration, she pressed the power button several times until she saw life on the screen. However, an empty battery icon flashed red right at first instead.

  


"Gaaaaah—— you worthless phone!" Mion shouted out of her lungs without realizing she was already standing out at a public place. "Why do I have a phone with a weak-ass battery, dammit? Why? Cuz this is all the parents can afford, that's why! Sucks being poor sometimes— you hear that, Keigo Raira?!"

  


After cursing nonsense to release her tension, she found herself sitting down on the ground, reaching for her water bottle from her backpack. Even then, she even struggled to find her water bottle inside. "Ugh, where the hell's my water bottle?"

  


She continued on mumbling and mumbling to herself about Keigo when she immediately stopped when a sight of a pearly-white colored phone appeared right in front of her eyes. With the design and its sleekness, she knew that was definitely a very high-class, definitely expensive phone. Slowly, she looked up to see the owner of the phone who was handing it right at her.

  


At the sight of the angelic smile, she fell on her back. "Your— your— your— high—"

  


"You were trying to call Keigo-kun, right?" The deep by smooth male voice spoke to her like orchestrated music to her ears. She got up slowly when she also saw him offering his hand to her, helping her get up from the ground.

  


"Um… how did you know that… I was trying to call Keigo… Your Highness?" Mion couldn't help but blush, but at this point, she couldn't tell whether she was blushing from embarrassment or blushing because she had one of the four crown princes appearing this very close to her, right at her face.

  


"Well," the bronze-haired prince gave a light chuckle. "You were cursing Keigo-kun's name all over the place. I know how it is with siblings."

  


"Um…" Mion found herself scratching her head in nervousness, as both stood up together from the ground. Once she was on her feet, she bowed quickly and lowered her gaze to the ground. "Your Highness… if… If it's not a waste of your time, do you happen to see Keigo around… nearby?"

  


"I'll tell you… if you look up right at me."

  


Mion gulped nervously and slowly looked her face right at him. _Dammit, I don't care about checking out guys, but why is this prince so deadly— handsome? No wonder so many of these girls staring all pissed at me right now… This has gotta be a dream!_ With the bronze-haired prince smiling at her, she returned the smile at the same time.

  


"Um… Your Highness… have you seen my brother, Keigo Raira, nearby?" Mion repeated her question.

  


"Try again." The prince handed his phone again to her, as she nervously grabbed it from him. She quickly dialed Keigo's phone number and then heard the phone ringing once more. She placed the phone on her ear, with her ear tingling a little to feel its cool touch. After waiting with seven rings, she shook her head, sighed, and hung up.

  


"No answer?"

  


"Ugh, no."

  


"Maybe he's forgotten his phone from his locker… or maybe his phone is turned off?" The prince made his guess.

  


"What an idiot… how could he—" Just as she was to answer, the other two princes with him joined in the conversation. "Ah… Your Highnesses, hello!" Quickly she bowed at the other two.

  


The raven-haired baby-faced prince gave a chuckle and pointed to himself. "Shin."

  


Next, he pointed at the bronze-haired prince who lent her his phone. "Ruki."

  


Finally, he pointed at the blonde-haired prince. "Shosei."

  


"Oh, right! Sorry!" Mion chuckled nervously. "Shin, Ruki, Shosei. Um… hiyas!" Rather than bowing again, she waved at them. The three princes returned the same wave. Right then, she began to notice the same girls behind her glaring directly towards her.

  


Even though she was in the minority LEF class and is on the same classes as her siblings and the four crown princes, she gave out a rather awkward expression on her face. Shin noticed it right away, then patted her on the shoulder.

  


"I think this area isn't a good time to rant about your brother, Mion-chan," Shin smiled. "Let's go somewhere else."

  


"Uh, right. Great idea!"

  


With the prince surrounding her from all sides, they strolled away from the fountain area and then found an empty grass area, just about meters away from the entrance to one of the trails leading to Muyoudake Grove. Once they checked that there was no one else in sight, they are now open to talk.

  


Mion felt her legs shaking as if she was about to lose balance. Sure, it has been a month and all thirty LEF students take the same courses with the same teachers and the same classmates every weekday, but this was the first time in her life that she was about to converse to three of the four princes on her own. She and Era always wanted to get closer to the princes themselves but felt that there was a barrier built between them, guarded by the two princesses and one high noble girl all at once.

  


She observed the princes and how they communicate with the rest of the LEF students. In the case of her siblings, Crown Prince Youta made friendships with all her three brothers. Crown Prince Shin also formed friendships with the three brothers as well, but is a lot closer to computer genius loner Lin than Kosuke and Keigo. Crown Prince Ruki was very close to Kosuke, treating him more as his senior than his subject. Crown Prince Shosei even added Keigo in his BFFs Circle List.

  


However, none of the four princes even made any relationships with the Raira Sisters. None of them, for one month. But today, Mion Raira will be the first of the two commoner girls of the LEF class to finally be able to form relationships with three of the four princes. Their main topic? Her careless brother, Keigo Raira.

  


"Wait, aren't you and Keigo partners for this field project?" Shosei pointed his finger right at Mion. The nervous girl nodded. "What topic you two are working on?"

  


"The _Reishou_ ," Mion muttered softly.

  


"Huh? I didn't hear that."

  


"She said _reishou_ , Shosei," Ruki answered loudly for her.

  


"Aww," Shosei pouted. "You got the _reishou_ topic? Me and Prince Ryuta wanted that topic. I hate lotteries!"

  


"The same with Ruki and me, actually," Shin nervously chuckled. "Well, congrats on scoring the _reishou_ topic for the field assignment, Mion and Keigo Raira. The _reishou_ topic is quite popular, along with the _reishou tantei_ topic."

  


"Which Youta and Princess Mirai got for their topic," Shosei sighed deeply. "Heck, anything that has _reishou_ in it are the hottest topics to talk about!"

  


Mion led out a sigh after giving out a soft chortle. "Well, anyway. Keigo and I were supposed to meet at the library during study hall, but I waited for him for fifteen minutes. We went to our lockers first and I showed up at the library. But he was a no show. That's why I was so pissed off earlier today."

  


"You're like Youta," Shin laughed. "If I don't show up at a meeting of any kind with him or if I'm running late, I would get an earful coming from him. I get you, Mion-chan. I'd be mad too."

  


"So, here I am like a madwoman running around looking for that idiot," Mion sighed again. "But he's not even answering my calls— and I frickin' ran out of battery too. He _still_ isn't answering my call even if it has Crown Prince Ruki's name on it."

  


"Ruki," the bronze-haired Crown Prince Ruki mentioned his first name, indicating that she should drop the royal titles and just call him by his first name.

  


"Ah, sorry, Ruki!" Mion gulped.

  


"Well, this isn't the first time we've spoken on the phone," Ruki laughed. "Keigo and I, I mean. He'd usually answer right after the first ring." He placed his finger on his chin. "Hm, if he isn't answering, that can only mean that something must have happened to him— or maybe he forgot his phone from his locker— or maybe his phone ran out of battery… or worse…"

  


"Oh, Keigo?" Shosei gasped, snapping his fingers. "So, you're looking for Keigo now?" He found himself chuckling. "Well, if this helps, while we were hanging out at the fountain, I thought I saw Keigo running this way towards Muyoudake."

  


"Muyoudake?!" Shin and Ruki gasped simultaneously.

  


"Er, why? What's in the Muyoudake?" Mion blinked curiously and gazed at the nearby entrance leading to the wooden trails of the thick bamboo grove.

  


Shosei gasped. "Wait… you don't know anything about the Muyoudake? The urban legends and rumors and all…"

  


"What?" Mion scratched her head curiously. "This school is too damn big for me to pay attention to a bunch of urban legends!"

  


"No, no, listen," Shosei continued. "There's been rumors and stories circling around the Muyoudake Grove. Right now near the entrance, it's easy to get around because of the red railings around the wooden trails. But once you get to the central intersection, and you get further north to that intersection, it becomes a maze of some sort and you'll end up entering another dimension filled with malevolent poltergeists, and if you do end up entering it, you can never get back here!"

  


"Malevolent… poltergeists?" Mion gulped with nerviness shaking inside. "You mean…?"

  


"Ghosts. Evil, cursed ghosts," Ruki answered.

  


"If those rumors and urban legends are true, why would Keigo run over there?" Mion frowned, crossing her arms.

  


"Not sure," Shin answered, then smiled. "Want to find out?"

  


"Wait, wait…" Shosei began to step back from the group. "You can't be serious, Shin-niki! We're going in there?"

  


"I'm pretty sure it's nothing, Shosei. If Keigo is brave enough to get in there, so can we." Shin dragged both Ruki's and Shosei's arms. "We'll go with you and look for Keigo, Mion-chan."

  


Ruki nodded in agreement. "I think that's a good idea, Shin."

  


"Great," Mion grinned. "Thanks for coming along with me, Your High— er, thanks for coming along with me, guys! I mean I can go in there by myself but I'll get an earful from Yasu-nii if he hears that I've been wandering around at strange places by myself."

  


Shosei slowly shook his head, stepping backward. "Um… I think I'll stay behind. You guys go ahead."

  


Ruki smirked. "Alright, Shosei. Be sure to entertain those girls staring at us behind you so they don't get lonely."

  


The blonde prince blinked and snapped his head behind him, where there was a median distance between them and the female students smiling and squealing right at them. Quickly, he turned back to the three and began to gently push the two princes on the back.

  


"Never mind, let's go! Let's go!"

  


The four LEF students entered past the sign with _Muyoudake Grove_ written on it. There were a few number of students hiking and strolling along the trails of the thick bamboo trees, which meant that they were in the rumored safe zone of the forest. Regardless that the bamboo trees block the view of the sky, everyone present can feel the mild warmth, cool breeze, and the sunlight shining right at them.

  


As they proceeded, Shosei spotted his class project partner, another prince from a smaller kingdom ruled under the Mirukan Empire, resting at the red railings of the trails with a sketchbook open. He was sketching a view of the bamboo trees, completely concentrated at his subject, with some more female students gathered nearby, gazing at the enigmatic beauty of the silver-haired sketch artist of royal blood.

  


"Oh, it's Prince Ryuta," Shosei muttered once he saw his partner. "I swear, why are there so many princes around the empire who's a lot more good-looking than us?"

  


"We're all the same, Shosei," Shin chuckled. "Prince Ryuta's race of people of his own kingdom look like angels descended from the heavens, that's all. But I agree, he's definitely handsome and out of this world."

  


"Maybe we can ask him?" Mion pondered, staring at the silver-haired prince slightly distant from where they're standing. "About Keigo, that is?"

  


"Looks like he's sketching at his sketchbook, so I don't think he doesn't mind being interrupted," Ruki indicated. "Let's ask him then."

  


The four students approached the silver-haired Prince Ryuta, but just before they got closer to him, Ryuta looked up from the sketchbook and spotted them first. He greeted them with his smile that made some girls behind him squeal.

  


"Ah, Shosei," Ryuta waved. "Shin, Ruki… and Miss Raira."

  


They waved in return, as Mion bowed to the silver-haired prince. "Ah, which one are you?" Ryuta asked shyly. "I'm sorry, I'm still trying to remember everyone's names."

  


"Ah, Mion. Mion Raira," the timid girl replied to him. "Era is the one with the braided pigtails."

  


"Ah, got it," Ryuta nodded, then turned to Shosei. "I was about to finish my sketch for the day and call you, Shosei, so we can get started with our project. But, you showed up here instead. So convenient."

  


Shosei nodded. "Great! But to be honest, we didn't come here to find you. We're here to find Keigo, one of Mion's brothers."

  


"Keigo Raira, huh," Ryuta rubbed his chin. "Short one with the glasses?"

  


"No, that's the oldest, Lin Raira," Shin corrected him.

  


"The fiery redhead?" The other princes shook their head.

  


"That's Yasu— I mean, Kosuke Raira," Ruki corrected himself.

  


"Oh! Keigo— tall, lanky, handsome, wavy hair, one with the cute dimples when he smiles?"

  


"Yeah, that's him," Shosei confirmed.

  


Ryuta chuckled softly and nodded. "So, that's Keigo Raira, huh. He's gaining his own fan club among the girls too. He did pass by here. In fact, he actually asked me where the right intersection trail area was."

  


Mion raised an eyebrow. "Right intersection trail area? Why would he go there?"

  


"I'm not sure, but he mentioned something about meeting a girl there. I figured it may be one of you sisters, but then again, he would mention it'd be one of you, since we all know each other in the LEF… almost."

  


Mion slapped herself on the forehead, while the other princes slipped their hands in their pockets, sighing. Right then, he reached inside his backpack and revealed a pamphlet. Unfolded, it was the entire map of the Muyoudake Grove's trails. He handed the pamphlet to Shin.

  


"Here, you may need this. Unfortunately, they don't have a digital version of the map so we can't even access it through our phones. I carry a few of these with me in case someone may need them."

  


Shin thanked him, as he and Mion began looking at the map. Ruki nodded and bowed to Ryuta. "Thank you for the map. Right intersection trail area."

  


Quickly, Shosei stood right next to Ryuta. "Um, since I'm already here, why don't we start with our project, Ryuta?"

  


"Yeah?" Ryuta smiled. "Sure, if you want to do that right now, Shosei."

  


Shosei turned to the three. "We'll stay here. We'll wait for you when you find Keigo, okay?"

  


Mion nodded. "Thanks for coming, Shosei. Much appreciated."

  


"Hope you find Keigo, Mion." Shosei grinned.

  


"Be sure to stay together," Ryuta warned the three. "Whether those urban legends we keep hearing about are true or not, it's still safer to stay together."

  


"Don't worry, Ryuta," Shin nodded. "We won't leave Mion here by herself."

  


Ryuta reached for his backpack again and handed two more map pamphlets to Mion and Ruki. "Just in case you have to split up, you might as well have these."

  


"Thanks, Ryuta," Ruki nodded. "We owe you one."

  


"No need, Ruki," Ryuta smiled. "Just get back here safely, all four of you."

  


Mion bowed to the silver-haired prince. "Thanks for this, Prince Ryuta."

  


"Good. Take care, you three. Be sure to bring Keigo out of here safe."

  


They said their byes at Shosei and Ryuta, and then made their way to the spot where Keigo was supposed to meet this mysterious girl. With Shin looking at the map and Ruki volunteering to call Keigo on his phone, Mion felt safe and secure with the two princes standing both on her sides.

* * *

  


### Precint #34SN - Computer Lab (Present)

  


"Eh?! Crown Prince Ruki and Crown Prince Shin?!" Syoya and Lin exclaimed in shock, now realizing that the unnamed third and fourth reishou who was with Mion at that time. With panicked expressions, they turned towards Kosuke to confirm. At that time, Era entered the room with a tray carrying the take-out pancakes, saucers, butter, and syrup. Once entered, she closed the door behind her. Once she placed the tray on the main table of the computer lab, She began serving them as they continue on with the discussion.

  


Kosuke nodded. "Crown Prince Ruki and Crown Prince Shin."

  


Syoya stood up from his seat. "Holy shit! And from what I heard, those two are the most popular princes among the women too because of their looks and… everything else! How would those crazy fangirls feel if they find out that the ones they're crushing on turn out to be _reishou_?"

  


Lin crossed his arms. "Fangirls are blinded easily. I don't think they'd care. It's how the rest of the world would react if they find out that the two most popular of the four candidates turn out to be reishou."

  


"But… wait… ugh, this is seriously bad news!" Syoya continued. "According to the Seibara Ecclesia's religious philosophy, if a reishou is emerged among royalty and high nobility, they needed to be…"

  


"Two of the four candidates for the empire seat… are reishou…" Lin sighed deeply. "This is why I hate that damn religion. I don't get why the entire empire should start practicing the Seibara religion without question… is it because it's Mirukan's national religion?"

  


Era distributed the plates to everyone in the room. "Not everyone following the Seibara religion follows the same philosophy, Lin-nii. Remember, it was divided into two denominations: the Inner Seibara and the Outer Seibara. Most of the empire's common people practice the Outer Seibara, while those of the high nobility and royalty are practicing the Inner Seibara."

  


Syoya shook his head. "So, even until now, no one knows that Crown Prince Ruki and Crown Prince Shin are reishou all along? I wonder if the royal family already knew about it."

  


"Well," Kosuke placed his hands in his pockets. "Crown Prince Youta and Crown Prince Shosei, as well as the Baragami Kingdom's Prince Ryuta, already knew about it. I learned about it because Prince Ruki came up to me about it and opened up during study hall a few days later. He overheard us Raira Siblings talking about it when Mion and Keigo opened up about becoming reishou."

  


The detectives and Syoya began their breakfast after Era distributed the pancakes to them. She also served them coffee from their coffee maker from the break room area. While she ate at her spot, she joined in.

  


"Wait… is that why there was a rumor before in the news sometime years ago that all four crown princes excommunicated themselves from the Inner Seibara denomination and converted to the Outer Seibara denomination, which got the emperor and a lot of the officials pissed?" Era rubbed her chin. "I remembered reading that in the news sometime long ago."

  


Kosuke nodded. "Yeah. They did this because they know the Outer Seibara philosophy have strong sympathies towards the reishou regardless of background and upbringing. In addition to that, the Inner Seibara have no control or authority towards the reishou who practice the Outer Seibara denomination. However, there's rumors also that some Inner Seibara clergy are overstepping their boundaries to get their agenda straight.

  


"The Inner Seibara sees the reishou born from royalty and high nobility as a curse— especially royalty. The things they do when they learn that there is reishou existing in royalty and high nobility throughout the empire…" He lowered his head, sighing at the same time.

  


"Poor Crown Prince Shin and Crown Prince Ruki," Syoya sighed along. "I didn't know… I mean no one knew… except you guys… and no one said anything about this… you're all protecting them from the current emperor and the Inner Seibara, right?"

  


Keigo raised his hand to interrupt. "My… family… back then… were Inner Seibara practitioners. We were all born from high nobility, purebred from the Royal Capital. My father was a councilman for the empire, my mother, a socialite. We migrated down here to Yamabe before the Inner Seibara Wipeout happened at the Royal Capital and the vicinities." He closed his eyes and began to clench his fists. "We had to give up everything— our home estate, all our fortunes, our riches, our assets, everything that we owned to escape the Royal Capital. My parents met with a local oracle to determine all our fortunes about two weeks after I was born. It turned out that I was predicted to be born a reishou. To the Inner Seibara practitioners, they consider it as a curse, a potential to be the demon who will unleash all the most malevolent forces known to man and are set to destroy the world. In order to get rid of these… demons… families will have to give up their children predicted to be reishou to be slaughtered through some horrendous ritual by the Inner Saibara clergy. Anyone who runs away or refuses to give up their children to go through this ritual killing were considered traitors to the empire and to the gods."

  


The tall detective reached for his coffee and sipped it before he continued. "We only learned about Yamabe because Lin-niki's and Yasu-niki's families worked as servants for my family, even if they were from lower nobility, and they were originally from Yamabe too. So, they helped us escape the Royal Capital and settled here. Who would have thought that some two years later, this town would be raided by pirates and my entire family, Lin-niki's family, and Yasu-niki's family, fell victim to the raid. The three of us hid together at an underground doorway. We didn't know that it lead towards the basement of this building. The Raira Couple found us then and they kept us safe till the raid was over."

  


"This whole reishou thing…" Syoya rubbed his chin. "It's not genetic or anything, right? What I mean to ask is, how do you know that you've become a reishou?"

  


"Nope, not genetic at all," Mion answered. "No one knows who's a reishou and who isn't at the start. You discover you are reishou when you reach your teenage years and the very first sign that you are one is when you feel a sudden chill on your left arm, then along with your arm, your left hand starts to tremble out of the blue as well. Then, goosebumps rise up immediately without wondering why… and when your left arm feels completely frozen cold and your left hand starts to tremble, you also start hearing whispering voices without knowing where they're coming from. Next thing you know, you end up at some unfamiliar environment where you see nothing but fog, cloudiness, and random spirits from good spirits to evil poltergeists…"

* * *

  


### Mirukan Royal Academy - Muyoudake (Forbidden Bamboo) Grove (7 years ago)

  


Ten minutes after leaving Shosei and Ryuta near the entrance of Muyoudake Grove, Mion, Ruki, and Shin continued to move forward with Shin leading the way as he follows the map Ryuta gave him earlier. Ruki constantly continued to ring Keigo's phone, but still no answer. Mion, on the other hand, was beginning to worry for her brother.

  


During their stroll through the trails getting deeper into the bamboo forests, Ruki decided to break the silence with a topic many royal members and high nobility seemed to love to chat about.

  


"So, were you able to get some material about your assignment, Mion?" Ruki asked curiously.

  


"Eh? You mean about the reishou?"

  


"Yeah, about the reishou. Did you at least do some research while you were waiting for your brother?"

  


Mion nodded. "I read some of the material too. There sure are a lot of mysteries surrounding the reishou. I mean, they're just… ordinary humans who just somehow gained special powers to communicate with dead spirits— wandering dead spirits, that is."

  


"It's actually taboo around the palace, especially in front of the emperor, to talk about the reishou. The Royal Capital and its vicinities of Mirukan are too superstitious and deep into the Inner Seibara philosophy," Ruki continued on. "The problem is, no one really knows how one becomes a reishou, or how the local oracles are able to predict which one of the newborn children will eventually become reishou. At least here at the empire's Royal Capital, it's forbidden to talk about the reishou. My kingdom, however, is a little different."

  


"From what I read," Mion continued, "the reishou can be anyone. If you were born a reishou, you're a reishou for the rest of your life. It's not genetics or something hereditary from the parents or past ancestry. In general Seibara philosophy, reishou are also considered the messengers between human beings and the gods. Each reishou is different, there's like different levels. Many can see and somehow communicate with wandering spirits through sign language. And then there are a few who can actually see and speak to them. And then, the strongest reishou are also the most vulnerable."

  


"Vulnerable," Ruki sighed. "The most powerful reishou… are the ones who can open themselves to spirit possessions. The real powerful ones can control the spirits who possess them. They can get them to possess and they can also kick them out when things get dangerous. And then there's the other kind… where they're too weak to control themselves that sometimes they do become completely dangerous."

  


"You seem to know quite a lot about them, Ruki," Mion shyly smiled.

  


"Where Shosei and I come from, the reishou are very much revered. It's been centuries that many of the Mirukan's royalty and high nobility with reishou family members to migrate to Hangingake, and many of them converted to the Outer Seibara denomination to protect them from getting rounded up by the Inner Seibara."

  


Shin overheard the chat between his two younger classmates and turned his head. "Ruki, be careful with what you're saying."

  


"I'm okay, Shin. Just helping out Mion a bit with her assignment just so she cools down from her stress over her brother."

  


"I see," Mion gave a small smile. "Thanks for this, Ruki. I feel a bit better."

  


"I'm glad," Ruki smiled. Mion continued on with her findings.

  


"So, reishou are considered the chosen ones by the gods, according to the Seibara philosophy anyway. Those who were born from the common class often work as local oracles, fortune tellers, or priestesses at the Seibara Temples to counsel grieving families and friends for their dead loved ones. Lately, some reishou now work as cold case detectives. Those unsolved cases that couldn't be solved by the local police or even by the imperial police are handed over to these reishou tantei so that they'll be able to communicate with spirits of the victims and they'll be able to at least give them clues on who did the wrongdoing and their motives why. I think reishou tantei detectives have got it going on, you know?"

  


The two princes chuckle along. "It's too bad… not anyone can become a reishou tantei," Shin joined in, "even if one is a reishou."

  


"Yes, true," Mion sighed. "But maybe being a detective working alongside reishou tantei detectives are awesome too. One day, I'll follow my parents' footsteps and continue on their legacy as cold case detectives. My sister and brothers want the same too. That's why we wanted to be in the LEF program. Of course, we didn't expect to be transferred by default to the Royal Academy."

  


"Still," Ruki turned his head towards the eager girl, "we're glad that you're here with us, Mion."

  


"Aw, thanks." Mion found herself blushing as she turned away from the bronze-haired prince.

  


Right then, Shin stopped once they stumbled upon the intersection trails. Ahead of them are three separate trails leading deeper into the grove. Shin double-checked the map to be sure they arrived at the right spot.

  


"Well, this is it," Shin said, folding the map. He, Mion, and Ruki began to scan around the area to look for Keigo.

  


"Keigo! I know you're around here somewhere! Where are you?!" Mion shouted with her loudest voice. The two princes also began shouting for Keigo's name to help her out.

  


Ruki shook his head. "No, no sign of him. I can't hear anyone being around here."

  


"There's three trails split ahead of us. We'll have to split and take one trail each. Maybe Keigo wandered around deep into the forest somewhere," Shin frowned. "Girls over good grades, huh?"

  


"Um, Shin, please don't think of him badly," Mion answered nervously, "he really isn't that bad. He has this bad habit with girls he finds cute…"

  


Shin shook his head, then smiled. "Don't worry about what I said. Plenty of princes throughout the empire are just like him, I can assure you that."

  


"Oh, really?" Mion scratched his head. "I don't know anything about empire royalties and stuff but which prince?"

  


"Shosei," Ruki snickered, which also made Shin break into a chuckle. "Right, let's split then."

  


"I'll go left," Shin called out. "Ruki, take the right trail. Mion-chan, the center."

  


"Right!" The three dashed through their chosen trails, not caring or knowing what is up ahead waiting for them. Still, they made sure they check their maps to be sure they find their way back.

  


Mion followed the trail straight without being aware of her surroundings, calling for her brother's name from every breath she takes. She reached for her phone again, only to realize that her battery ran out earlier. She cursed at the phone again and continued on moving forward.

  


She gazed at the map again and noticed that there was a huge lake ahead, right at the end of the trail she was walking on. She figured maybe Keigo and that mystery girl Ryuta mentioned earlier decided to make their little memory right then. Immediately, she jogged her way forward.

  


"Keigo, come on, this ain't funny!" Mion called out continuously. "Where the hell are you?!"

  


As she proceeded on moving forward, she felt a sudden chill on her left arm. She looked up the sky to see if the sun was still there. She removed her right sleeve of her blazer to check the temperature of the atmosphere. As she thought, the atmosphere still remained mildly warm. She wore her right sleeve of the blazer back, then tried to remove the left sleeve. Her eyes widened in surprise to note that she did not feel the same mild warmth as her right arm and instead, felt a very intense chill.

  


_What's going on? What's happening to my left arm…?_

  


Slowly, she proceeded forward, and as she came closer, she felt gradual numbness on her left arm, right to the point where she could no longer control it anymore. She halted at where she currently stood and raised her left arm once more.

  


_No way… why can't I move my left arm? I can raise it but I can't bend it…_

  


As she raised her arm, she then noticed her fingers on her left hand beginning to tremble without her controlling it. Quickly she grabbed her left hand with her right, and forcefully drew her left hand closer in sight. As she thought, her fingers started to tremble at random.

  


_What's happening to me…?_

  


"Kei— Keigo!!" She continued to call out for her brother. She repeatedly called for Keigo's name, then eventually noticed that her voice began to echo in all sides. With the echoes, she turned at all sides to see if she found herself lost. There was only one trail she was following and there weren't any intersecting trails she spotted on her way, but why did it seem like she was completely lost at an unending thickness of the bamboo trees?

  


_Dammit, Keigo, I don't know where you're at… just please… please, be safe…_

  


Meanwhile at the left trail, Shin continued on with his trail with his bluetooth earphone his left ear. He was talking with Ruki, who took the right trail. The two princes kept in check with each other to be sure that they're still on the same page.

  


"Mion's phone is out of battery, and I didn't get to ask for her phone number," Ruki's voice spoke at the other end of Shin's phone. "According to the map, there's a small intersecting trail that joins the center trail and the right trail into one, so hopefully I'd be able to catch up to her when it merges."

  


"Okay," Shin nodded, sighing in relief. "I don't believe in those urban legends I'm hearing around campus, but I'm getting a little weary right now."

  


"You too? Well, right now, I'm shaking my left arm badly because it's getting cold."

  


"Cold? It's mildly warm in here and I still feel warm. How?"

  


"I don't know, it's weird. Like one half of me is normal, but my left arm is freezing up like it's about to turn numb."

  


"Ruki, when we get back, be sure to go to the infirmary and have the school nurse check up on you—" Just as he was about to continue, he also started to feel some form of chill on his left arm. "Oh… crap…"

  


"Huh? What's that, Shin?"

  


"My left arm is numbing."

  


"Your arm too?"

  


"Yeah, like… out of nowhere…"

  


Shin slowly raised his almost-numbing left arm to see his fingers trembling the same way as Mion's from before. He quickly grabbed his hand to make it stop shaking. "Uh, Ruki? Is your left hand… shaking or trembling…?"

  


There was a pause at first, then Ruki answered. "Yeah… my fingers can't stop twitching. What's going on, Shin?"

  


"I don't know, but I'm having a really bad feeling about this…"

  


"Same here…" There was a brief silence for a few seconds, then Ruki spoke. "Shin, I could hear Mion's voice!"

  


"Is she okay? Is she screaming for help?"

  


"No, she's calling out Keigo's name. I'll meet up with her so she's not alone."

  


"Okay, good idea."

  


Just as Shin continued on moving forward on the trail, he heard some faint voices at a near distance. Quickly, he began to jog forward until he found their target. Slowly, he backed away and hid nearby the bamboo trees and peeked ahead.

  


The raven-haired prince found Keigo Raira, conversing with a mysterious blonde female student wearing the yellow blazer. The girl looked somewhat pale and her lips did not look as red as a normal living human being. He began to whisper through his earphone.

  


"I found Keigo, Ruki. He's with some girl, arts student."

  


"Yellow blazer?"

  


"Blonde, looks like she just rose up from the dead."

  


Ruki chuckled from his end. "That sounds morbid, Shin."

  


"Well, anyway, I'm gonna go get him right now."

  


"Alright. I'll head back and take the center trail and meet up with Mion."

  


Shin proceeded forward, and with no hesitation, he called out Keigo's name. "Keigo, bro!"

  


Keigo slowly turned behind, somehow with a worried face. "Pri— I mean… Shin! Huh… what brings you here?"

  


"Ah, me?" Shin smiled, slowly approaching him and the yellow blazer girl. "Ruki and I are exploring the entire Muyoudake Grove in its entirety. After all, we're still in school grounds."

  


"You… and Prince Ruki?" Keigo spoke nervously. "Um… that's cool…"

  


"So," Shin smiled, "why are you here? Weren't you supposed to meet your sister at the library to start your project?"

  


"Huh? How did you—" Before Keigo continued on, the yellow blazer girl showed a panicked expression on her face and suddenly ran away straight to the trail. Keigo noticed the footsteps and turned around. "W-wait! Where are you—"

  


Just before he was about to run after the girl, the sun disappeared and thick fog started to cloud around the area. "Uh… Shin… what's going on?"

  


Shin finally found himself standing next to Keigo. "I don't know, and I don't like what's happening right now. We gotta go."

  


"But what about—"

  


"Forget her, come on!" Shin grabbed Keigo's already-frozen left arm when they started hearing random whining and sinister voices coming from the atmosphere.

  


"Whoa, Shin… what's… who… why am I hearing random wailing voices right now?"

  


"Ignore them, Keigo! Run!"

  


As the two young men began to make a run back on the trails, they began to see wandering figures walking around at all directions as if they were trying to block their way.

  


"What… what are… where are we, Shin?!" Keigo shrieked in fear.

  


"Just don't look at them— keep running!"

  


In the meantime, Mion herself was beginning to hear the same whining and screeching voices into her head. As the voices get louder and louder, she found herself completely overwhelmed and screamed, covering her ears and ducking her head down.

  


"Get away from me! Stop screaming at me! Leave me alone!"

  


Without looking up, the goosebumps on her left arm continued to promptly raise. The random spirits and other unknown forces began to swirl and soar around the ominous fogged surroundings. The warmth and the light of the sun completely turned to gray.

  


Helpless and frozen in fear, all she could do was roll and tuck herself with her eyes shut and ears covered, shedding tears while hoping she stayed safe as these unexplainable forces hopefully disappear soon. Just as she continued to tremble, she heard a seemingly more human voice speaking directly at her.

  


"What are you doing just sitting there?! Turn around and run! Hurry!"

  


She gave a gape as the young male voice spoke loudly to her, telling her to get up and start running. When she looked up, she saw a more human, and somewhat more alive, figure looking down at her. Mirukan Royal Academy uniform, red blazer. Tall, fair-skinned, clean-cut raven hair, definitely handsome eye-candy. Where this fellow HSS (History and Social Science) student came from, she had no time to ask questions.

  


"What are you doing?! They're coming! Get up!"

  


She gritted her teeth and found herself falling backwards on the ground. Quickly, she got up, turned backward, and began to run, still with her hands on her ears. Just as she was about to turn her head around, the red-blazer student warned her again.

  


"Don't look back here, keep looking straight!"

  


She screamed in panic and did as the student told. While speeding her way straight down the trail, a monstrous-looking specter jumped right in front of her, startling her completely and lost her balance. She found herself falling onto the ground with her both her left and right knees scraping against the rough surface of the trail. Not only did she scream in fright, but she screamed more in pain, once she saw both her knees bleeding with rough cuts.

  


"Hurry! Run!" The student continued to call right at her.

  


"Help me up!" She answered harshly, reaching for the railings to get herself up. With both her knees stinging, she could feel her tears trickling down her eyes as if she knew this would be the end for her.

  


_Please… help me… someone help me…_

  


As she slowly continued to use the railing to help her move forward, another panicking voice called out her name. This time, the voice was coming right in front of her.

  


"Mion!"

  


She looked up and sighed in relief to see a more familiar face. "Ru-Ruki!"

  


Ruki arrived in time and got to her quick. "What happened, Mion?" He immediately noticed the two scrapes on her knees. "Your knees!"

  


"I can't run…" Mion hissed, showing her agony from the stinging.

  


"Just calm down, I got you." Ruki turned himself around and placed her arms around him. "Just hold on."

  


"Wh-what? We're getting chased by those creepy things flying around, you can't run carrying me like this!"

  


"I'll be fine, Mion. I'm strong enough." Without much effort, Ruki stood up, with Mion piggybacking. Right then, the red-blazer student appeared behind them.

  


"Don't look back, just keep running! They'll go away when you reach the intersection!" The student advised them quickly.

  


"Who are you?" Ruki demanded in a hurry.

  


"Just look straight and run!"

  


Ruki shook his head and began to dash with whatever speed he has left with Mion on his back. Luckily, they weren't that far from the intersection, which was more than enough for the prince to use all his strength to reach the finish line.

  


"Ruki, I'm imagining things… I know I'm imagining things…"

  


"Those creepy things flying around us? I see them too!"

  


"Eh? You too?"

  


"We're almost there, Mion, just hang on, don't let go."

  


Mion wrapped her arms around his shoulder blades tightly. "I'm not! I'm not!"

  


"Just— who's that guy behind us?"

  


"Him?" Mion slowly turned around and took a glimpse of the handsome student's panicking face. "I… I dunno, he just showed up from nowhere, he just told me to get up and run! He is pretty cute though…"

  


"Huh? Cuter than me?!"

  


"What?!"

  


Just as they made their fast rush, they finally found the intersection, where they also spotted Ruki and Keigo arriving at the same area then. Once the four meet, the red-blazer student joined in and called out.

  


"Turn around, don't look back!"

  


"Wait, who's this dude?" Keigo pointed at the red-blazer student, as he turned around as the others, not to look behind. As they stayed still without taking a glimpse behind them, they could hear the screams and wails coming from those flying specters fading away. They waited until there were no other noises left.

  


Just as the atmosphere was returning back to its mildly warm state and the noises completely disappeared to absolute silence, the students finally gave out a heavy sigh of relief. Meanwhile, the red-blazer student stood up, also sighing out, wiping the sweat off of his forehead.

  


"Good," the red-blazer student spoke, staring at the four students in black blazers. "If you four are smart enough, you shouldn't go past through this intersection. That's just a warning."

  


Without question, he turned around and was making his way forward to one of the three split trailers, even if he just warned them never to get past the area they were standing. With Mion tending to her knee cuts with her pocket tissues damped by a few drops from her water bottle, the bronze-haired prince stood up and called out to the student.

  


"You! Red-blazer HSS student!" Ruki called out in his stern princely voice. "Yes, you!"

  


The red-blazer student froze, eyes widened in shock. Slowly, he turned around and faced Ruki, then pointed his finger at himself. "Are you speaking to me?"

  


"You're the only one wearing crimson red among the five of us, Sir. Who else am I speaking to?" Ruki crossed his arms. Meanwhile, the other three stood up and stared directly at the red-blazer student.

  


The student showed an expression of shock, with his eyes blinking. "You… you can see me…?"

  


"As you can see, we're not blind," Shin spoke, using his authoritative prince voice as well.

  


"You all can see me?!" The student slowly stepped back away from the four LEF students. "You… all… can see me?"

  


"Just who are you anyway?" Ruki continued on with the questions. "Where did you come from?"

  


Right then, the red-blazer's expression turned from panicked to relieved. "Thank goodness. After all this time… someone has finally seen me." From there, he took a few steps forward to get closer to the group.

  


"Well, in any case," Mion cleared her throat, "thank you… for saving us from… those things…"

  


The student turned back to the split trails, then back at the students again. "Whatever it is you've seen past these three trails, you haven't seen them. Just say you saw nothing here!"

  


"Okay… we didn't see anything past there…" Keigo muttered, repeating the student's words. "We… didn't see anything…"

  


"Right," Ruki frowned. "What's your story? You've got guts to tell us to leave when you're going to the direction where we just ran away from?"

  


"Ah, yes," the student cleared his throat. "I just happened to have made that mistake earlier by ignoring these rumors and urban legends and went to see what was beyond this intersection and… well… as you noticed, that's exactly what just happened." He immediately changed the subject before the princes start to bombard him with other questions. "What were you doing past this intersection anyway?"

  


"Not the same thing as you," Mion frowned. "We came to look for this idiot right here." She quickly smacked Keigo at the back of his head, with Keigo squealing in pain.

  


The student turned right at Keigo. "Why would you get past through this intersection?"

  


"I didn't," Keigo frowned. "There was a girl who I met here at the intersection, and she wanted to talk to me in private, so she lead me past her and…"

  


"Huh. I see. Yellow blazer? Arts student? Long blonde hair?"

  


"Y-yeah, her. How'd you know?"

  


The student shook his head. "If you see her around, don't follow her anymore. She's nothing but trouble, especially with guys like you."

  


"Guys like me, what the hell do you mean by that?" Keigo glared at the red student, as Mion nudged him on the side. "Sorry, Mion."

  


"Anyway, now that we're all here," Mion calmed everyone down, then extended her hand. "Why don't we introduce ourselves? I'm Mion Raira."

  


Rather than taking her hand for a handshake, the red-blazer student bowed to her as well. "Good to meet you. I'm Yundong Kim, HSS."

  


"Yundong Kim, is it…?"

* * *

  


### Precint #34SN - Computer Lab (Present)

  


"And so, that's how we met Yundong Kim," Keigo led out a sigh. "We never really thought about him after that. We just saw him as just another regular student like the rest of us. We never really questioned about him or where he came from and stuff like that. Heck, it wasn't until a few years later that he was actually a ghost himself."

  


"Keigo decided to give me the piggyback ride back and straight to the infirmary for the nurse to patch my knees up," Mion continued from there. "Prince Shosei and Prince Ryuta saw us immediately when they spotted me being piggybacked by Keigo and asked us what happened there. We didn't tell them about the ghosts, but we did tell them about Yundong being there."

  


"That was it," Keigo added. "The other two princes asked us about Yundong, but nothing more than that. He was just another fellow Royal Academy student studying history and social science. That was all he was… then."

  


The rest on the room fell silent, thinking about the incident that made four of the thirty LEF students reveal themselves to be reishou first before other students began revealing themselves as one, one way or the other. Meanwhile, Kosuke reached for the printed photo on Lin's desk and gazed at Yundong Kim's class photo.

  


"Yundong Kim… what was so special about the Muyoudake past that intersection… or what was it that's being kept beyond the split trails…"

  


"We still have the old map pamphlet that Prince Ryuta gave us those years ago," Keigo said. "I stuck it in one of my personal archives."

  


Kosuke nodded. "When we get to the Royal Capital and start investigating Yundong Kim's case, bring that old map. I'm pretty sure the school has a new, updated version of the map." He handed the photo to his cybersecurity detective. "Lin-niki, you know what to do. Run Yundong Kim's photo in the census records database. I really do hope no one in the upper level has tampered with the database when we do our search."

  


"On it." Lin placed the photo at a special scanner installed next to his computer.

  


"Hopefully, we can get a few leads once we get his vital info. Then we can start our pre-grand ball assignment as Crown Prince Youta _commanded_ us from the letter."

  


As Lin ran the photo while they finish the rest of their pancakes, a loud beep sounded from his computer. Lin almost fell from his seat once the computer sounded. He looked up at the screen and saw green flashing.

  


"A hit… we got a hit!" Lin gasped. Everyone gathered around his desk, as he opened the file. Right then, the vital information about Yundong Kim opened and flashed on the screen.

  


Lin read the general information loudly, which also included his birthdate and his birthplace, family members, and such. "So… I get why the Royal Capital database doesn't have anything about this guy. He wasn't even born there. He's not even Mirukanian. In fact, his family are subjects from the Kingdom of…"

  


"Hangingake," Mion murmured the name of Yundong Kim's birthplace. "Ruki's and Shosei's home kingdom."

  


"His father, grandfather, and ancestors before him all served as clergy members of the Inner Seibara denomination, and were a very influential family throughout their kingdom's churches," Lin continued on reading. "He was supposed to become a clergyman himself, which was why he enrolled in the HSS field in the Royal Academy. Seibara Theology is under the HSS field. But according to this, he defied his own family when he deliberately leaked out some of the most vital information about the Inner Seibara's future plans, in which one of them happened to be their _Reishou Eradication of the Border Region_ plan, to the Shouran Rebels. What the heck is all this?"

  


Kosuke shook his head. "None of that makes any sense. Why was he murdered at the Royal Academy?"

  


"Yundong Kim was declared missing on this date, according to the Hangingake Census Records here. His last sighting was at the Muyoudake Grove at the Royal Academy, but didn't say where in the grove exactly."

  


"And then, according to those newspaper clippings," Kosuke added, "his body was found inside the old archives basement of the library. Poor guy's just got buried there and not even reporting his identity to the authorities. They all said that they don't know him, he just happened to be there."

  


"Wait…" Era suddenly pointed out to the screen that mentioned _Reishou Eradication of the Border Region_ on the records. "If I remembered correctly from reading those clippings Kise gave us last night, the date that he was murdered was a few days before the Yamabe Raid, right?"

  


Kosuke nodded. "Yeah, I noticed the date as well."

  


"What if the Yamabe Raid was… that? The whole _Reishou Eradication of the Border Region_?"

  


"No way," Keigo shook his head. "Pirates and terrorists raided our town those years ago and killed pretty much everyone on sight! Right?"

  


"Pirates and terrorists…" Kosuke rubbed his chin. "Some say it's the Shouran Rebels, but there was no proof. They only targeted Yamabe and not the rest of the Border Region. Why was that?"

  


"Hm," Mion sighed, "maybe because the Shouran Rebels stopped these pirates and terrorists from raiding the other towns? I mean, the records here said that Yundong Kim leaked information about this _reishou eradication_ thing, right?"

  


Everyone lead out their own deep sighs. "At least now," Kosuke concluded, "we've got some leads. Thing is, we'd have to renew our passports to enter Hagingake and start our investigations there."

  


Lin shook his head. "Or maybe not. It said here that there is a Hagingake-specific temple of the Outer Seibara at the town next to ours."

  


"Huh? What's that got to do with Yundong? He's not an Outer Seibara practitioner," Keigo scratched his head.

  


"Nope, but his uncle and his family are." Lin tapped his pen onto the screen as they gazed at the names of Yundong's relatives.

  


"Wait," Kosuke pointed at one particular name. "This man's name… I've heard of this name before. I think, we even met him before also."

  


"Come to think of it," Lin rubbed his chin. "I think you're right, Yasu. Isn't he…?"

  


"Yup. Heechon Kim's father," Kosuke grinned. "He was a guest speaker at our school giving us a presentation about the benefits of becoming a reishou tantei detective for the commoner class reishou students. Very insightful presentation for someone who's an Outer Seibara priest, you know?"

  


"Eh? Heechon Kim? Wasn't he Kise's senpai when they volunteered at the Royal Academy library when we were still in school?" Keigo blinked in surprise.

  


"Yep," Kosuke confirmed. "Not just that, Keigo. Heechon, Kise, and a few other junior librarians are members of the Mirukan Border Region Historical Society. We haven't really talked to Heechon for a while now, but I think Kise can hook us up again."

  


"Hm, I wonder why Kise didn't hand the clippings to Heechon first?" Mion pondered. "Then maybe Heechon would've assigned this 'unnamed student' cold case to us in return."

  


"Maybe Heechon was too young to remember… or never really met Yundong at all," Era made her guess.

  


"Well, whatever it is," Kosuke began his conclusion, "At least, now we got a lead. We'll simply call the historical society's office and ask for Heechon. If not, we'll call the library and have Kise arrange a meeting with him. Get all your stuff ready. Lin, Era, Kimata, just do your usual stuff at the office. Since Mion and Keigo know about Yundong Kim than the rest of us, the three of us will go together."

  


Everyone confirmed with their duties, as they head to their desks to equip themselves for their own assignments. Meanwhile, Syoya caught up with Mion, who began to pack her necessities in her backpack.

  


"Say, Mion," Syoya tapped her shoulder. "I know this is something minor, and I know this is already in the past, but… I did overhear what you guys were chatting about last night… about your crushes and stuff back in high school."

  


"Yeah?" Mion blinked, while she checked her smartphone being charged. "What about?"

  


"Yundong Kim, who all along was dead, was your first one. Who was your second one? From what I gathered from your chats, the second one would've been _the one_ for you if it weren't for his background, right? Which one is it?"

  


Mion snickered. "Why are you curious now, Kimata?"

  


"I will take a guess— Crown Prince Ruki or Crown Prince Shin?"

  


Mion suddenly slapped him on the shoulder. "Kimata, they're just the other reishou who was with Keigo and me. We just all happened to discover that we're reishou at the same time, same place, same spot, that's all."

  


"Fine, fine," Syoya chuckled, as he made his way to the reception desk. "Good luck later today with Heechon Kim then."

  


"Thanks!" Mion shook her head with a small smile, as she continued to go through her drawers. Just as she goes through, she found an aged framed photograph of the entire LEF class from their first year of school at the Mirukan Royal Academy, all primped with their black blazer uniforms, all thirty total.

  


She reached for her frame and began to look at every single face of all her classmates. Then, she found the photos of the four princes: Youta, Shin, Ruki, and Shosei, standing right behind her and her sister Era, second row.

  


_Youta… Shin… Ruki… Shosei… please be safe._

  



	4. The Enigmatic Yundong Kim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team reaches out to a former schoolmate and the closest relative to the late Yundong Kim, author and historian Heechon Kim, who brings them to his family and learn more about Yundong's past life before meeting him years later, as well as learning more about the reishou. Kosuke recalls to himself a secret he's held for a long time regarding the two reishou crown princes once he received news that the Raira Family & Deputies precint will be gaining three more detectives to be added to their team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've studied the Japanese language for more than 10 years. First 5 years in college/uni, the rest, continuous self-learning. I'm aware of how Japanese (and Korean) names are written (family name first + given name last), but there are a lot of people who aren't familiar with East Asian (Japanese, Korean, Chinese) names and aren't used to knowing which is the family name and which one is the given name, so I'm catering to them as well.
> 
> The place names I've given were all based from Kanji synonyms (using a Kanji synonym dictionary). I know they're not exactly attractive names, but I also wanted to give some meaning to the place names too.

### Kichou Outer Seibara Temple (Present)

That morning, Kosuke called the Empire of Mirukan Border Region Historical Society in hopes that he could reach out their former schoolmate who volunteered alongside their childhood friend Kise Sanjou at the Mirukan Royal Academy Library: a tall, lanky, bespectacled young man named Heechon Kim. Although his family came of high nobility, he and his family immigrated to the Border Region of Mirukan from their original country of Hangingake to start a new life after his family defected from the Inner Seibara denomination to the Outer Seibara denomination. They spent their entire fortunes to open their own temple based on the Outer Seibara philosophy and began living as part of the empire's commoner class. He attended the Mirukan Integrated Academy as a scholarship student along with Kise, and was also an HSS student. Aside from Kise, Heechon also aided the Royal Academy LEF students with various subjects and projects and other types of research for their assignments, and eventually, he became one of their respected seniors, trusted friends, and strongest allies.

Kosuke was relieved that Heechon himself answered the phone and that he greeted the inspector captain as if they were still schoolmates years ago. He was currently doing some draft writing for an upcoming book he was working on, but was willing to take a break to assist him and the Raira detectives regarding their pre-research before the Royal Princes' Grand Ball that was to come at the Royal Capital just a few weeks from today. He even offered to drive them to his family's Outer Seibara temple branch at his hometown next to Yamabe, a small but peacefully well-off town called Kichou. The drive wasn't far, but on their way to Kichou, they discussed a few things about the cold case they were about to open.

"We need to keep in touch more often, Yasu-kun," Heechon humbly smiled while he kept his eyes on the road, driving on his jeep, carrying Kosuke, Mion, and Keigo with him. "But, I'm glad you called me first before anyone else about this."

"The client is becoming desperate about all this, Heechon-senpai. I still don't know what this is all about, but here it is again… the unsolved murder of that unnamed student back in the old school."

"Yeah. Yundong Kim," Heechon sighed. "I know I'm related to him, but I've never met him personally. I was still a kid when the Yamabe Raid happened, just like you guys. My parents and my older brothers knew him though, but hopefully my family would shed some light into this investigation."

"We owe you a lot, Heechon-senpai," Mion smiled happily. "I'm just so glad that our first lead got us to keep in touch with you again!"

"Nah, you can always call anytime," Heechon grinned. "Even historians like myself can chill too, you know. I've heard stories from my family about Yundong, but unfortunately, that's all I know. I never really had any interest in him until you guys brought up about that unnamed student murder. Who would've thought that Yundong turned out to be that unnamed student? Poor guy. No one even identified him when they found his body at the library. No one even gave him a proper burial. His wandering spirit must be very lonely and desolate because no one among the living can even help him. And now, this? Now there's hope for him… and for those who have lost their lives wrongfully."

"About the country you guys originally came from?" Keigo joined in. "Hangingake, right?"

"Yeah. I've never been there before. I was born and raised here in Mirukan, like you guys. Well, I'm the only one among my family who was born and raised here. My mom was pregnant with me when we immigrated from Hangingake to start all over. To be honest, I've never really met all my other relatives because of different beliefs as Seibara practitioners. My parents would mention them but my father would always have something negative against them, but it's mostly because of different beliefs in religious philosophy."

"I'm curious," Mion began to tap her chin. "Was Yundong a reishou when he was alive? I don't know, I'm just… popping up some questions about him."

Heechon shook his head. "No, he never was. But he had a lot of sympathy for them, especially the ones from the upper crust and royalty. There were many reasons why my family disassociated themselves from the rest of the family and the Inner Seibara, much of them for political reasons. This is the reason why I decided to study History and Social Science in school last time, so that I can put all the pieces of the puzzle together on the history of this empire. I've got so many questions jotted down in so many journal notebooks that still remained unanswered."

"Maybe whatever info we get from your family today may even help you out a bit with some of those unanswered," Kosuke reminded him. "Thanks a lot for all your help, Heechon-senpai. Really appreciate it."

"Anytime, Yasu-kun."

They crossed the welcome arch, marking the entry border to the vegetated town of Kichou. With only a few corners turning, they drive up a small hill, where the Kichou Outer Seibara Temple was located. Heechon drove through the parking lot and then at the residential home not too far from the temple. There, he parked his jeep, then lead them to the entrance to the home.

When Heechon reached the front door of the residence, there was a sign on paper stating _All at the temple_. He nodded, then lead the detectives towards the temple entrance.

When they arrived at the entrance, they all removed their shoes and placed them at the shoe rack area, dipped their feet on washing well to wash them, then proceeded to the entrance of the temple. They placed their palms together and bowed three times before entering.

They reached the lobby of the temple, then in the main congregation area, they spotted a small assembly with the priest leading the prayers. The priest was identified as Heechon's father, Senior Reverend Kibum Kim. They stepped in and joined in the prayers until the session ended.

After the prayers, the practitioners thanked the priest and the clergy present, while Heechon and the Raira detectives waited until everyone exited the congregation area. Reverend Kim approached his son and his friends with his usual welcoming smile. The guests bowed to show their respects, as the priest returned the bow.

"Welcome to our humble temple," Reverend Kim opened his greetings. "My son, what brings you here today?"

"Father," Heechon bowed his head with his humble smile. "I know this is an unexpected visit, but I'm here to help out some old friends from high school on a cold case they're working on."

The reverend's eyes opened in surprise. "Anything to help the empire and the sense of justice."

"Father, these are some old friends from the Royal Academy: they're cold case detectives from Precint #34SN."

The Raira detectives revealed their badges to identify themselves. "Sorry to disrupt your services, Reverend. I'm Inspector Captain Kosuke Raira. These two are my deputies, Keigo Raira and Mion Raira. We are working on a 14-year-old cold case involving an unnamed student found murdered in the grounds of the Mirukan Royal Academy. It may sound strange that Border Region detectives are working on a cold case that isn't under our jurisdiction, but we received a tip from a client who wishes to reopen this case once more."

"Is that so?" The reverend showed his concerned expression. "But how can a cold case that took place at the Royal Capital end up all the way here in our home region?"

"Reverend," Kosuke swallowed, "the client believes that this unnamed student found murdered from the school grounds may be your missing nephew, Yundong Kim."

"Wh-what? My Yundong?" The reverend showed a startled expression, then turned to one of his colleagues. "Please, call my wife and have us serve some tea." He turned to Heechon and the detectives. "Let's discuss about this in my office. This way, please."

Moments later, the guests settled down at the circular table, with the reverend's wife, Heechon's mother, serving some tea for her husband, her son, and the three guests, as the discussion began. The reverend opened a few old photo albums that showed Yundong from his childhood days back in their old country to becoming a Mirukan Royal Academy student. Keigo and Mion immediately identified Yundong's old photos as the same exact Yundong they encountered from their school days years ago.

With everyone settled, Kosuke opened his recorder app on his smartphone and began to record the interview.

"Reverend Kim, please tell us a bit more about your nephew, Yundong Kim," Kosuke began with the recording.

"Yundong was the only son of my older brother, who was the Inner Seibara Cardinal of Hangingake," the reverend began speaking of his nephew. "I'm not ashamed to admit that I myself, as well as my wife, were devouts of the Inner Seibara denomination, but with the tragedy that happened in their family, my wife and I disillusioned with the philosophies that the Inner Seibara practitioners believed that we decided to break ourselves from that denomination and joined the Outer Seibara in our country. Sadly, because of it, we had internal conflicts and our name was banned from any temple around Hangingake. That's why we settled here at the border region of Mirukan, knowing the people here would welcome us regardless of our background. We've been living peacefully here for years and served all people of the Border Region, especially with the disaster that's happened during the Yamabe Raid."

"Tragedy?" Keigo asked curiously, while he and Mion typed all the notes on their tablets. "Can you give us in detail about this family tragedy you spoke of?"

The reverend sipped some of his tea, then swallowed hard. "Yundong had an older sister, Miran. She was a chief oracle of the Hangingake Royal Family because she turned out to be a reishou. Although the Kim Clan are one of the most influential high nobility families in our country, the king and queen were sympathetic at everyone close to them, and rather than turning in the children who turned out to be reishou or predicted they will become reishou to the Inner Seibara for their— cleansing practices— they decided to give them more important roles that would benefit the country. She worked in giving out readings and predictions to every Hangingake high nobility and even their guests regarding their futures. Then one day, she was asked by the king and queen to make a reading on their children, future heirs to the Hangingake throne.

"Apparently, Miran predicted that one of the three will become reishou, and not just a reishou, but the type of reishou that are considered of the Elite Class. Are you familiar with the reishou classification, Detectives?"

"That's why we're here taking on this case, Reverend," Kosuke answered. "The three of us— actually, all five of us belonging to Precint #34SN, are all reishou tantei detectives. I'm from the General Class, Keigo and Mion here are Central Class."

The reverend led out a sigh of relief. "Thank the heavens! We've submitted our missing person's case on every reishou tantei around the border region and even in our old kingdom regarding Yundong, but no one was able to take it on because none of them were able to communicate with Yundong's spirit, in case that he was dead. None of them were able to have any leads. We even tried the ones at the Royal Capital but no one wanted to take on the case. We've lost hope in finding out what happened to Yundong after so many rejections. But now, I'm relieved that there is someone out there who has found a lead and turned it in to the rightful detectives — you three."

"So, rest assured, we got all the time to listen to everything you know about your nephew," Kosuke grinned.

"Very well then. Miran predicted that one of the three children will become Elite Class type of reishou. If you're familiar with the basic Inner Seibara philosophy, the Elite Class reishou found in royalty will be the ones to… take part of their cleansing ritual. Our family clan may be devoted Inner Seibara practitioners, but they are also devoted to the Hangingake Royal Family. Miran did not want to announce to both her family and the royal family which one of the three royal children will become that feared reishou because she cares about the well-being of the royal family. No child shall lose his own life to some unjust ritual just because he was predicted to become that Elite Reishou that the Inner Seibara denomination feared of.

"She didn't tell anyone about this prediction except her closest friend and ally — her only brother, Yundong. He finally broke silence about Miran's predicament when he left his family and exiled himself here with us. Heechon here was still a toddler then, and Yundong lived at the on-campus dorms when he was enrolled at the Royal Academy, so Heechon doesn't much memories about him."

Heechon shook his head. "No, I don't remember anything about him, not even how he looked like." He then gazed back at the photos. "Handsome young man, I'd say."

Keigo turned to Mion, which in turn she nodded at him. Both already knew which royal child Miran made her prediction of back then. Knowing the regulations of confidentiality, they decided not to question about it.

"When you're in that position under the Inner Seibara denomination, you will be punished for refusing to reveal your predictions to them. She drowned herself on purpose just a few weeks after Yundong moved here to attend school at the Royal Academy."

Everyone present fell silent, just to show their respects to Miran's spirit. The reverend then broke the silence and continued. "Since all three of you are reishou… is it possible that you can also contact Miran's spirit and speak to her?"

Kosuke turned to his siblings. "What do you guys thinks?"

"Well…" Keigo began to scratch his forehead with his finger. "That's not going to be easy, especially in the level Mion and I are in right now. First, Central Class reishou can only communicate with wandering spirits still lingering around the world of the living — those who haven't ascended up the heavens yet, so we're not even sure if Miran's spirit is a wandering spirit or a spirit who already ascended in peace. Second, we have to be at the area where she drowned herself. We'll assume that's in Hangingake. Third, if Miran's spirit has already been ascended, a higher class reishou, like the Grand or the Elite Class, should be able to summon her spirit. If the latter turned out to be the case, we'd have to find someone with stronger reishou powers than us to be able to communicate with an ascended spirit."

"Oh… well, that's very unfortunate. We don't know anyone with that very high class," the reverend sighed deeply.

"If you tell us more about Yundong, rather than his family's past," Mion spoke, "maybe we won't have to go through summoning Miran's spirit or have to deal with immigration papers on our end. Maybe we can find other leads from all your stories about him."

The reverend nodded and proceeded. "Yundong was a very passionate young man. He was a man of worldly interests in all aspects of the entire world, not just with his own country or even the Mirukan Empire. He wanted to be a travel writer and chronicle everything about his travels, experiences, and even the things he's learned from the locals. He wrote many letters back and forth to us during his time at the academy. He did mention meeting a few of his classmates, both from the History and Social Science field and the Law Enforcement Field, who were early recruits of the newly- established rebellion group known as the Shouran Rebellion.

"Everyone branded the Shouran Rebels as a bunch of anarchy-driven criminals, terrorists, pirates, but their causes are a lot more for the restoration of the empire's democracy, rather than destroying the peace and prosperity of the empire. The Shouran Rebels were established by a group of enlightened high nobility from all parts of the empire. There have been rumors also that the empress herself was the head of the rebellion."

"The empress?!" Heechon gasped. "I've never heard of this before, Father!"

"Not the current empress, Heechon," the reverend corrected him. "The previous empress— the one who was assassinated."

"Empress Himawari? The emperor's first wife and Crown Prince Youta's and Crown Prince Shin's mother?" Kosuke asked curiously. He began to recall what the decoded letter indicated the other day. He spotted Keigo and Mion already making their own brainstorming chart, connecting the dots of all the names and facts they gathered from the reverend's accounts. There was a _?_ written between the two lines with one end written _Yundong Kim_ and the other _Empress Himawari_.

"Well, let me clarify. I didn't mean to say that she herself established the rebellion. The ones who established the rebellion were those formerly of the government under the emperor and Empress Himawari's rule. As you know, the Mirukan Empire rule is a joint rule, both emperor and empress married together also rule together. When the emperor remarried, everything changed. The current empress replaced most of the members of the council with her own people, and everything that the emperor and the previous empress built together. Unlike the emperor and Empress Himawari, Empress Maira was a staunch Inner Seibara follower. After all, Empress Maira was already married to the emperor and already sitting on that empress seat when the Yamabe Raid occurred."

Right then, Kosuke and Keigo stood up from their seats upon hearing the latter statements. "What… exactly… do you mean by that… Reverend?"

The reverend turned around to be sure that there was no stranger nearby, then asked his wife to close the door. "The Inner Seibara may be the dominant religion of Mirukan's royalty and high nobility, but in order for them to execute an action, they would have to have permission from the monarchs first."

Keigo sat back down. "Wait, wait. Pirates and terrorists raided our town those years ago. Why mention the Yamabe Raid and the current empress in the same sentence?"

The reverend closed his eyes as he sipped on his eat. "Before my nephew disappeared, he shared with us a very valuable information that he extracted from his own family during his revisiting back at his home. He and his parents made a truce with one another and buried the past, especially with Miran's suicide. He had all the proof needed to expose this valuable information regarding the Inner Seibara's heinous crimes against its own people, but along with him, all that proof went missing as well. His aim was to pass on what he has to the Shouran Rebels… the one he referred to as the _Reishou Eradication of the Border Region_ Act."

Keigo quickly turned to Kosuke. "Is he saying that the current empress ordered this _eradication_ act on the people of our town before? She's the one who killed our families?"

Kosuke hushed the anxious detective. "We don't have proof of that, Keigo. Apparently, Yundong has that proof that the reverend mentioned. If we get our hands on that proof, whatever Yundong had back then, and expose it to the public…"

"That would mean treason for both the emperor and the empress… and possibly those who are involved... and the Head Clergy of the Inner Seibara too. The League of Judges and Barristers will have to put all of them to trial, and if found guilty, there will be a new emperor and an empress."

"One of the four candidates? Crown Prince Youta? Crown Prince Shin? Crown Prince Ruki? Crown Prince Shosei?"

Kosuke nodded. "They have to be married first because it is a joint rule. They'd have to have a designated regent to handle all the matters and transition before they crown the new emperor and empress. This designated regent will be chosen by the League of Judges and Barristers. But anyway, that's another matter. We're going off-topic."

"Yeah, sorry, Captain Yasu." He then turned to Mion, who was still jotting down her notes on her tablet. "You've been quiet. What do you think of all this?"

"Well… I have a lot of things to say, but I'll talk about it when we're done here."

"Alright," Keigo nodded. They turn back to the reverend again, with Heechon still listening in. "I think as a start, we've got enough information about Yundong."

The reverend stood from his seat. "I… I know you may not have enough power to summon a spirit who already ascended, but… is there a chance you would be able to communicate with Yundong… if he happened to be the one they referred to as the unnamed student?"

"Oh, believe us, Reverend," Kosuke said. "We already know it's Yundong. We'll be heading to the Royal Capital to attend the Crown Princes' Grand Ball in two weeks. All LEF grads on the same class as the four crown princes were invited."

"Ah, that's right," Heechon chuckled, "you were in the same class as the four crown princes. I envied you guys when we were still students."

Kosuke patted Heechon on the shoulder. "You had a chance to communicate with the princes too. I remembered that you were assigned to tutor Shosei with social science before."

Heechon laughed. "That's true. I almost forgot about that. Kid's been a stubborn one and slept a lot."

"But you inspired him in a lot of ways, Heechon-senpai," Mion smiled. "I'm sure he'll remember you once he sees you again."

"I hope so. Well, have fun at the ball… and I hope you're able to finally put my late cousin Yundong to rest."

They exchanged their bows and handshakes, ending their interview. Just as they make their exit, the reverend's wife arrived with an aged leather box on her hands. She approached Kosuke and handed the box to him.

"Hm? What is this?"

"Inspector Captain, first, we would like to thank you for acknowledging our nephew Yundong and his disappearance— no— murder case. We've kept this box as we promised Yundong several years ago before he disappeared. I don't know what's in there, none of us dared open this box, but we believe that whatever it is in there may help with your investigation." Along with the box, the wife also handed Kosuke the keys to the box's lock. "Please, keep in touch with us when of your updates with Yundong. We'll do whatever we can to help you if we find anything vital."

The detectives bowed to the reverend's wife as their sign of thanks. "Thank you for all your help, Reverend, Mrs. Kim. We'll definitely keep in touch."

As they parted, Heechon escorted them to his jeep to drop them off back to their detective agency office. As they drove off from the temple, Heechon broke silence.

"I know this is none of my business, guys, and I know your confidentiality regulations as detectives," Heechon began, "but, may I take a guess of a few things?"

"Like what?" Kosuke asked curiously.

"As to who your client is and which one of the three royal heirs of Hangingake who may be that Elite-leveled reishou that my father mentioned?"

"We're not telling you who our client is. That stays confidential, even with friends," Kosuke warned him.

"Alright, fair enough. But, in Hangingake, there are three heirs to the Hangingake throne: the eldest, Crown Princess Honoka, the middle child, Crown Prince Ruki, and the youngest, Crown Prince Shosei."

Keigo blinked and turned to Kosuke and Mion. "I didn't even know Ruki and Shosei had an older sister."

"I did," Mion added. Kosuke acknowledged also.

"For some reason, I'm leaning towards Crown Prince Ruki," Heechon made his guess. "I don't know why, but that's my hunch."

"Well… I don't know…"

  


"From my observations back at the library, Crown Prince Ruki was awfully very close to the both of you— Mion and Keigo I mean. Oh, and Crown Prince Shin also. And I already know the both of you are reishou back then."

  


"Well…" Mion began scratching her head. "Reishou… maybe… I don't know about the Elite Class part though."

  


Heechon nodded. "Fair enough. I'm a Mirukan subject by birth, but my family and I swore utmost loyalty to the Hangingake Royal Family. We'll do everything we can to protect Prince Ruki."

  


"Thanks, Heechon-senpai."

* * *

  


### Precint #34SN (Present)

  


The three detectives and Heechon arrived back at Yamabe at the back parking lot of Precint #34SN. Heechon even insisted they stop by the local pizza parlor to order some premium pizzas to feed the staff for lunch. They all met at their breakroom with the local news playing on the TV. Lin, Era, and Syoya welcomed Heechon as their guest, as they all served themselves with their favorite pizza slices and sugar-free sodas. Once they all sat on their seats at the tables, they nibbled, sipped, and relaxed with their eyes on the local news.

  


"Got any good stuff from Heechon-senpai's family?" Era asked curiously. "I mean, you guys have been there for quite awhile."

  


"Plenty," Kosuke answered. "Way too plenty. We need to narrow it down to the most relevant to the less relevant."

  


"Hope we didn't bug your family too much during the interview, Heechon-senpai," Mion bowed her head towards her former senior.

  


Heechon shook his head. "Actually, we're a lot more thankful. I know my parents have waited way too long for a willing group of reishou tantei to take on Yundong's murder case. He's no longer a missing person anymore. I feel bad that I couldn't help much."

  


"Nah, don't say that, Heechon-senpai. You gave us plenty of help, even if you couldn't say much about your late cousin's case," Kosuke reminded him.

  


"But I do agree with one thing. I think my parents knew more than I thought. I mean, we were strictly focused on Yundong, then all of a sudden, plenty of names started coming out from all the accounts too. How on earth did Yundong's case reach all the way to the emperor and empress of Mirukan, just like that?" Heechon sighed, as he began nibbling on his pizza slice. He turned right towards Kosuke. "So, Yasu-kun, how are you going to approach this case about Yundong?"

  


"Since we're reishou tantei," Kosuke answered, "first things first is that we reorganize all our notes. I wasn't taking notes myself because I was recording the entire interview. We may have missed what was said, so it's good to always double-check. We've less than two weeks to get ourselves organized because we'll be taking off for the Royal Capital two days before the Crown Princes' Grand Ball. Few days right after the ball, that's when the real investigation begins."

  


"You'll be visiting the royal academy then?" Heechon asked curiously. "Why a few days after the ball? Wouldn't you need to interview the crown princes themselves? I mean, you guys are all classmates and friends, right?"

  


"Ehem," the detectives coughed quickly, then Kosuke continued.

  


"We got plenty of other people to interview who we feel will be present at the ball before we get to the crown princes. Besides, we're invited to attend, meaning we're there to enjoy the party, not to indulge ourselves with our work."

  


"Hm, you've got a point. So, once you visit the royal academy…?"

  


"We'll have Keigo and Mion find Yundong's spirit, whether it's in the library or in that Muyoudake Grove, and they will be doing the interviewing with him. And then, we'll go from there."

  


Heechon nodded. "Sounds like a good plan. Seems simple enough. Well, I'll still continue on with my work with the society and the book I'm working on right here. If you need anything, you can contact me directly. Or you can even contact my family's temple if you need to."

  


Everyone thanked their former school senior, when their attention was interrupted by the news announcement playing on TV. The announcement came from the Royal Capital, in which one of the head spokespersons for the Mirukan Empire's royal family was being interviewed. Right then, it cut to a few of the likely names of eligible ladies from other royal families and high nobility throughout the empire who are likely to be chosen by the three of the four crown princes who will be engaged at the upcoming grand ball.

  


Heechon noticed both Raira Sisters with worried looks on their faces, once the announcer mentioned the Hangingake crown princes' names. Right then, Era lowered her head, sighing.

  


"Oh? Are you alright, Mion-chan? Era-chan?"

  


Mion turned to her sister, then patting her shoulder. "Era, what is it?"

  


Era quickly shook her shoulder. "Nothing."

  


"Your head bowing like that doesn't say 'nothing,' Era," Mion continued to insist.

  


She slowly looked up right at her sister. "What about you, Neechan? You have that same reaction too…"

  


"Nothing like that," Mion quickly denied. "I'm just surprised at the names of the candidates, that's all. But, it's expected."

  


The men surrounding them crossed their arms at the sisters, knowing both of them were lying. Right then, Keigo broke the silence. "I get it. I know why you're both reacted that way. It's not because of those girls being candidates to be engaged to the princes. It's the princes themselves."

  


The sisters quickly shook their heads with their arms crossed when Syoya joined in with his curiosity peaked. "So… I mean, I'm aware all of you guys in the LEF class were close, but… how close exactly were you to the princes…?"

  


"Close," Keigo grinned, then whispered. "Very close…"

  


Syoya gasped as his interest peaked. "Tell me more!"

  


"Hey, shut up!" Mion glared at the two, frowning at the same time. "This isn't the time to resurface what was in the past. I mean, we're high school kids back then. We did a lot of dumb things and didn't know any better."

  


"But having crushes and love interests is normal as high school kids," Keigo grinned. "I know you girls are playing it cool cuz all you cared about was doing well and graduate and become cold case detectives, but avoiding all of the teenage love stuff was futile! Besides, nothing wrong with having crushes…"

  


"Seriously, Keigo?" Lin joined in with the teasing. "Having a crush on the dead is not normal, man."

  


"Whatever, Lin-niki," Mion crossed her arms.

  


"Come on, we're on break right now, let's lighten up a bit!" Keigo laughed along with their receptionist.

  


"So, is it true?" Syoya continued on pestering. "Mion got herself mixed up with a ghost and one of the four crown princes? It's Crown Prince Ruki, isn't it? It's him, right?"

  


Right then, Mion stood up, grabbing a few napkins in front of her, and began to slap Syoya on the head, threatening him to keep quiet. In the meantime, even Heechon himself seemed interested. However, he decided to ask them in another way.

  


"I remembered before," Heechon joined in. "Wasn't it in a holiday trip that you siblings and the crown princes got closer?"

  


"Eh?" The siblings blinked, with Kosuke turning to his subordinates.

  


"But we've been close already since the beginning," Kosuke rubbed his chin.

  


"No, not as fellow LEF students, Yasu-kun. I meant to say, as friends… close friends… maybe more?"

  


There was a pause, where the siblings began to think. Then, Era nodded quickly. "I guess Kise told you about it, maybe?"

  


"A bit. She really didn't tell me much then," Heechon smiled nervously. "It was on a trip, wasn't it?"

  


"Yeah, we had a holiday trip," Kosuke nodded. "You were right. It wasn't just any holiday trip. It was also the first time that the siblings and I have gone out on a holiday outside Mirukan."

  


"Yeah, that's it!" Heechon grinned. "I was going to ask you guys earlier about the country where my family originally came from. I thought about… visiting my relatives on my own, one day. But I wanted to know more from your perspective."

  


"Eh? You're well off enough to travel to Hangingake, Heechon-senpai," Kosuke joked. "Why haven't you visited your relatives there yet?"

  


Heechon shook his head, sighing. "My parents forbade any of us to go there. Family conflicts, as they mentioned earlier."

  


"Ah, of course."

  


"They won't tell me how Hangingake's really like from their eyes and I had to resort to the internet for some photos of famous sites, so I'm asking you."

  


"Our Hangingake vacation was like almost a month. Too many things happened," Keigo scratched his head.

  


"Or maybe share with us how the rest of you three became reishou too like Keigo and Mion," Syoya suggested instead.

  


"Oh, that," Lin began to ponder, with Era smiling nervously.

  


"That actually happened three days before we took off for Hangingake," Era chuckled nervously.

  


"Alright, fine," Kosuke nodded and turned to his siblings. "So, which one of you subordinate detectives want to start? You want me to start instead?"

* * *

  


### Mirukan Royal Academy (7 years ago)

  


The very strict but wise General Ethics Law instructor, Professor Warner, called time that their final exam essay has been finished. Those who weren't able to finish their essays will have to turn it in as is. Luckily for about fifteen of the thirty, they were able to turn their essays in. Finished or not, they were able to exchange hi-fives to one another and their usual chatter began.

  


In the meantime, Mion gazed at a pink envelope on her hand. With Era gazing at her older sister, she figured that it was her planned winter holiday card that she was going to give to her secret crush, the mysterious HSS (History and Social Science) student she, Keigo, Ruki, and Shin ran into during their accidental stint at the deeper area of the Muyoudake Grove that established themselves as reishou. It's been two months since then, and the four of them have established friendships with Yundong Kim. They would often meet them at the library during study hall hours or even after school before they head back to their designated dorms.

  


Since then, Mion was developing her first crush on the prince-like Yundong Kim. Sure, there were four actual princes in her own class, but since then she had gotten used to their presence unlike most of the female students throughout school. So far, she only shared her moments with Yundong with Era and their integrated academy childhood friend, Kise Sanjou. Eventually, her brothers and even the four crown princes eventually learned of her more or less hidden relationship with Yundong and decided to keep silent out of respect.

  


As Mion gazed at the envelope with a smile on her face, Era scooted closer to take a look at the envelope. The older Raira sister showed a peek of the envelope, as the sisters giggle happily towards it.

  


Just as the sisters were having their own moment with the envelope, someone else behind them sneaked and looked over Mion's shoulder, reading the recipient's name written on the envelope.

  


"Meeting Yundong Kim right after class?"

  


Mion quickly hid the envelope and turned her head to see the older Hangingake Crown Prince Ruki smiling right at her: "Hey, none of your business, Ruki."

  


"Better hurry or some other girl would quickly snatch his heart." Also from behind her is the younger Hangingake Crown Prince Shosei, also sharing the same smile. "I heard this Yundong Kim is quite a play--"

  


"He _is_ not!" Mion quickly slapped Shosei's forehead with the envelope, which he yelped softly. Right then, Era patted her older sister on the shoulder.

  


"You princes stop teasing her," Era pouted. "I mean, this is the first time that she's going to give a present to a boy whose last name isn't Raira, you know? I bet you guys tease a lot of girls with things like these."

  


Shosei crossed his arms, pouting. "Why does it have to be some dude who isn't in LEF? What's wrong with the rest of us guys in this classroom? We're smarter, wealthier, and damn more fine than the rest of the guys in this school! And there's like— twenty-one handsome princes and prince-like guys in our class to choose from!"

  


"Why are you complaining, Shosei?" Nearby, Keigo joined in. "You go around ignoring the princesses and the noble girls in this school when they all pine for you and you're complaining when none of my sisters are interested in anyone in this class?"

  


Shosei turned his head to Ruki and Prince Shin, sitting next to Ruki's side. "Is it really true? This mysterious Yundong Kim that Mion's crushing on is really that handsome?" Ruki and Shin nodded quickly at his question. "You're lying, aren't you?"

  


From out of the blue, the LEF council members, Ren Kawashiri, Fumiya Sano, and Takumi Kawanishi joined in their small chat. Fumiya spoke first: "Wait, Era-chan, you're speaking of the Hangingake princes here? They're too proper and polite to tease some girl with things like these. After all, it's very rare for any of these four candidates for the emperor seat to bother some random girls and play along with them, you know? They have a lot more important things to do."

  


"You think, Fumi?" Ren chuckled and gazed at the two princes. "They're teasing Mion-chan with her love letter right now and Prince Shohei complaining that none of the Raira girls are interested in any one of us in this class." He then turned right towards the sisters. "Mion-chan, I searched the student database regarding Yundong Kim. How come he's not popping up in the search results?"

  


"Maybe you misspelled his name wrong? I don't know," Era shrugged her shoulders.

  


Mion quickly hid her envelope in her purse. "It's a holiday card, Ren-kun… cuz you know… we won't get to see each other until next year. Tomorrow's winter holidays already."

  


"Speaking of winter holidays," Takumi changed the subject, "weren't you going to announce something to us before school's over for the holidays, Ruki?"

  


"I'm about to do that soon," Ruki winked at the pink-haired council secretary.

  


"What announcements?" The sisters asked curiously.

  


"I promise, I'll make it quick," Ruki smiled at Mion. "So that you won't miss Yundong when he gets off from his class."

  


"Ugh, whatever," Mion turned her head away from the prince as he raised his hand to get their professor's attention. Right then, Professor Warner was finished looking through all of the essays he collected, and then hushed the entire class by banging on the board with his pointer stick.

  


"Alright, everyone settle down your seats. We've got a few announcements to make before I let you all loose for your winter holidays," Professor Warner called out with his familiar stern voice. The students who got up from their seats to chat with their other friends returned to their seats.

  


"The Hangingake Princes have a special announcement to all of you. Prince Ruki, Prince Shosei, the floor is yours."

  


The two brother princes bowed to their instructor and stood in front of the teacher's desk, facing the class. Shosei nudged his older brother to begin the announcements instead. Ruki cleared his throat and began with his familiar princely smile.

  


"As some of you know, our eldest sister, Crown Princess Honoka, had her twentieth birthday last month and the family has given her own private residence at the majestic, scenic Tenyou Valley, up at the Tenyou Ranges of our home country, Hangingake. Her new residence has recently completed a few weeks ago and her moving out from the royal palace was completed two days ago. She made a contact with me and Shosei here and wanted us to invite the entire LEF class to spend the entire winter holidays at the Heaven's Shadow Estate."

  


Immediately, many of the students showed their excitement for the major invitation. The commoner students, the Raira Siblings and the Carbonara friends, Sho Yonashiro, Tomoaki Ando, and Junki Kono, showed concerned expressions with a lot of things in their minds. Knowing how classy and formal this invitation would be, these were the first things that started to float in their thoughts.

  


"How much would the plane fares be to go to Hangingake?" Lin showed his concern, crossing his arms. "I read that Hangingake isn't just a top favorite vacation spot of all the kingdoms under the empire, it's also the most expensive as well. We'd have to head back home to Yamabe and dig up our passports too."

  


Junki sighed to himself. "Not even my family of their own stature can even afford to have some two to three weeks holidays at Hangingake. I've been there as a kid once and you won't believe how grand that country is compared to Mirukan."

  


"Guess the eight of us will be spending our holidays back home," Kosuke snickered, with Sho giving him the hi-five.

  


"The good ol' Border Region, eh, Yasupon?" Sho chuckled.

  


"Yeah, we're good," Tomoaki laughed. Meanwhile, Keigo, Mion, and Era showed expressions of envy upon hearing the invitation.

  


"Wait, he's not done yet, shhh!" Shosei hushed the entire class. Ruki continued once everyone fell silent.

  


"Let's just say, she really enjoyed listening to our stories of our life here at Mirukan Royal Academy and wanted to meet many of you. There are thirty of us and her palatial residence has about some fifty rooms. Some of you have been to Hangingake before, and of course, we're also aware that some of you are worried about the costs…"

  


Quickly, Keigo whispered to Kosuke with surprise. "How does Ruki know what's on our minds right now?"

  


"Cuz he's Prince Ruki, that's why," Prince Shin overheard the brothers and interrupted with a wink.

  


"Uh, right." Keigo fell silent once more as Ruki continued.

  


"We will be traveling together at a private first class jet that our sister owns, therefore you won't need your passports. We will also be traveling together from the school dorms by private shuttles to the airport. Everything will be covered for all thirty of us. I hope this would help our eight Border Region classmates, as long as all eight of you say yes." Ruki flashed another smile, knowing that whenever he smiles, it would be difficult to refuse.

  


"You really know how to convince us, do you, Ruki?" Kosuke smirked, crossing his arms.

  


"I'll assume that's a yes from you, Yasupon," Ruki returned the answer.

  


"You'd make a really awesome lawyer with the way you deliver your announcements like, you know that?"

  


"I learn how to be the best just by watching you, you know."

  


"Is that so, Your Royal Highness, Crown Prince Ruki of Hangingake?" Both Kosuke and Ruki returned their smirks at one another.

  


"Proceeding," Ruki cleared his throat as he continued. "Bringing your wallet is optional, but I'm sure you're all going to bring your own wallets anyway. You don't have to bring that much money because all of you will be our distinguished guests. Just bring all the clothes and gear that you need to keep yourselves warm and everything else will be provided. My sister has planned the entire itinerary on what we'll be doing for the entire three weeks of winter holidays. Winters in Hangingake, especially at Tenyou Valley, will be very, very cold.

  


"We will be leaving Kinshou International Airport in three days, early morning. Later today will be our last night before we all go home to our families tomorrow, so be sure to pack up your things before you go to bed. Shosei and I will be spending tomorrow and the day after with the Mirukan princes. Then, on the day we leave, we all head back at the school dorms and the shuttles will pick you up. We'll meet you at the airport and then we'll take off together. Once we land at Tenyou International Airport in Hangingake, also early morning, we'll be picked up by private shuttles again until we reach Tenyou Valley. It'll be a two-hour drive, so be sure to prepare yourselves, bring all your stuff like your books, laptop, tablet, battery packs, everything that'll keep you busy. Water and snacks will be provided.

  


"So, we really do hope that all twenty-eight of you will say yes. I think for me, the biggest benefit that we'll be having for this three-week holiday at our sister's new residence is the period that we will be creating our tight bonds with each other as ourselves and not as LEF students. We'll get to learn about one another, our families, backgrounds, everything. Princess Honoka is also a traveler as well, so she's very much interested in many of the empire's cultures. Nothing more, nothing less. Before I end this invitation announcement, any questions?"

  


"Nope! I'm sold!" Keigo exclaimed happily. "Ruki, thanks so much for this! Some of us have never been outside Mirukan before, so this is a serious winter holiday treat!"

  


"Thank you so much!" The entire class cheered and applauded, as both Ruki and Shosei bowed to them in return, making their way back to their seats.

  


Professor Warner returned to his spot. "Well, what a special treat from the Hangingake Princes, thank you very much! Unfortunately, I won't be able to join you all because some of my family members will be flying in home to spend our winter holidays here, but I have faith in the grand hospitality of the Hangingake Royalty to keep all of our students safe."

  


"The entire LEF Class will be safe under our hands, Professor," Ruki responded like a responsible prince that he is.

  


Right then, the bell sounded off, meaning that school is done for the firs half of the term. Lead by council president Ren, they bowed to the teacher and shared their gratitude. Finally, they all exited the classroom with cheers and excitement once they stepped out.

  


At that time, Mion was already making her way towards the library, where she would normally meet Yundong that did not include the off-limits deeper end of the Muyoudake Grove. She split with Era and mentioned she will return to the dorms immediately after she passed on her holiday card to Yundong.

  


As she made her way to the library alone, Ruki quickly ran to her and began walking along with her. "Eh? Ruki?"

  


"You're going to see Yundong, aren't you?"

  


"Ruki, why is it that you love to stalk me whenever Yundong's involved?" Mion began to get curious at the dashing Hangingake crown prince's intentions.

  


"What can I say? Good stalking skills is beneficial for a future reishou tantei, you know?"

  


"You're a crown prince, Ruki. You can't be a reishou tantei."

  


"You just had to ruin my future dreams with that statement, don't you?"

  


"Why is it that you're always around whenever I'm by myself or with Yundong, Ruki? If you want to stalk girls, you've got hundreds of them to choose from!"

  


Ruki found himself chuckling. "Ah, Mion. I just happen to be around whenever you're with him. I can't help it."

  


"Oh yeah? I'm probably Rank 1 in every girl's Most Wanted to Die list about now because of your constant stalking."

  


"We've known each other for about three months now and you're still not used to being with me," Ruki smirked. "Shall I remind you that you and I have no barriers in between and we actually have one common factor that binds us together?"

  


Right then, Mion gritted her teeth knowing he was correct. They were not just classmates under LEF, but also reishou. "Of course, how can I forget? We get to talk to people no one else can see."

  


"Mmhmm," Ruki smiled. "Such a wonderful feeling, thinking about it."

  


"Eh? What's so wonderful about us being able to talk to the wandering dead? I mean, I get scared whenever I come across one right in my face."

  


"Me too. Seeing one gives me the shivers as well." Ruki cleared his throat before Mion answers back by changing the subject. "Anyway, I'm coming with you because I want to talk to Yundong as well."

  


Mion raised an eyebrow. "Really, Ruki? You want to talk to Yundong?"

  


"Mmhmm. I'm going to extend my invitation to him for our Tenyou Valley holiday."

  


Mion's eyes flashed with awe. "R-really? You'd invite him to our holiday? Would your sister be okay with inviting a non-LEF student though?"

  


"I don't think she'd mind." Ruki grinned, with Mion applauding with excitement. "Besides, I don't want you to get bored while you're in my home country, you know?"

  


"Thanks for this, Ruki, I owe you one! But… don't say that."

  


"Don't say what?"

  


Mion scratched her head. "I mean, I don't think I'd get bored in Hangingake since I've never been there before. I mean it'd be really awesome to have Yundong come and visit your country though, you know?"

  


"He has to accept my invitation, of course," Ruki reminded her. "But if he's busy during the holidays, we can't force him."

  


"I know. Still, thanks for doing this, Ruki."

  


Once they reached the library steps, both spotted the one person they expected to see. The crimson-blazer-donning, clean-cut Yundong Kim was sitting at one of the benches near the entrance of the library, reading a particular book. As they get closer, Yundong lifted his head from the book and spotted the two LEF students approaching him. He waved at them, as Mion waved in return.

  


"Yundong!" Mion skipped happily with Ruki following behind her.

  


"This is a nice surprise, Mion-chan!" Yundong smiled. He stood up and bowed towards the prince. "It's good to see you also, Your Royal Highness."

  


Ruki returned the bowing. "How are you today, Kim-kun?"

  


"Exams are over, I can finally take a rest," Yundong sat back down on his seat. "How did your exams go?"

  


"Long essay question from General Ethics Law," Mion answered. "That was a hard one. Then again, I'm never really good at essays."

  


"At least you've got that out of the way, Mion-chan," Yundong smiled.

  


Ruki raised his arms to have Mion go first. While Mion began to talk, the prince began to observe Yundong from the top and even with the book he was reading. "Ah, that's right! Um… here!" She passed on the pink holiday card envelope to him, with Yundong taking the envelope from him.

  


"Oh? Thank you! I've never received a holiday card before. Sorry I didn't get you anything."

  


"Nah, this is just my way of saying thank you for being my friend," Mion flashed a grin on her face. "I know we only get to see each other every after school and here at the library because this school is too big, you know?"

  


Yundong laughed, as he placed the unopened envelope inside the cover sleeve of the book he was reading. "I'll open and read it when I get back to my dorm room, if that's okay."

  


"As long as you read it." Yundong gave a thumbs up, as Ruki started speaking after Mion's mission was done.

  


"I'm quite interested in the book you're reading, Kim-kun," Ruki began. "Perhaps you're from Hangingake?"

  


Yundong placed the book next to him and faced the prince. "You could say that. Ah, the book is in the Hangingakean writing system— oh yes, that's right! You're one of the heirs to the Hangingake throne!"

  


"My sister has been searching for that book for ages. It's been out of print for some twenty years already and no one would even lend an old copy. Can you tell me about it and where I can get a copy? My brother Shosei and I will be heading back home for the holidays in a few days."

  


Just as the two boys continued with their chat, Mion felt a vibration coming from her phone. She reached for her phone and saw a text message coming from Era. She noted that she's nearby and that she needed her help with something. She turned to the two boys and bowed.

  


"I'm sorry to interrupt, but my sister texted me, she needed some help with something. I'll probably see you guys later, hopefully."

  


"Ah, alright," Yundong waved. "Well, if I don't get to see you later, hope you have a wonderful, safe winter holiday!"

  


"Thank you, same to you!" Mion returned the bye. "Ruki, I'll see you later at the dorms then!"

  


"Thanks for letting me hang out with you. I'll see you later, Mion," Ruki smiled, waving in return.

  


As Mion made her exit, she made her way towards the library garden when she spotted Era waving at her. She dashed to her braid-pigtailed sister with a surprised look on her face.

  


"What are you doing here, Era?" Mion wondered curiously. "I thought you went back to the dorms already."

  


"I was heading back— until the anikis stopped me and made me bring them and the rest of the guys here."

  


"Guys?"

  


Era pointed towards the green bushes nearby, where Mion spotted movement. She marched directly behind the area, where she spotted all of the boys from the LEF hiding. She tapped Keigo on the shoulder, which startled everyone to see her standing behind them.

  


"They made me do it!" Keigo exclaimed in shock. "They all wanted to see this mysterious boy you're secretly crushing on!"

  


Immediately, Mion also spotted the popular and charmingly beautiful Princess Mirai hiding behind her boyfriend, Crown Prince Youta. "You too, Princess Mirai?"

  


The princess gasped and turned to Mion. "Youta made me come along too."

  


Youta coughed. "My dearest Mirai, blaming on your beloved now? You were more interested in seeing how this enigmatic Yundong Kim looks like than spending time with me for the past few weeks now." Mirai quickly slapped him on the shoulder. "Ouch, that hurts!"

  


Mirai turned back at Mion and smiled. "Well, okay… I am a _tad_ bit interested in how Yundong Kim looks like. I'm a bit upset right now because Ruki's on the way, so I couldn't see him."

  


"Well…" Mion scratched her head, as the princess continued on.

  


"Next time, take a picture, and send his photo to me directly, alright?" The princess grinned, with a worried Youta gazing at Mion and shaking his head. Mion sighed and slapped herself on the forehead.

  


"We couldn't even see how he looks like," Shosei pouted, scratching his head. "Why is Ruki on the way? There's so many crimson-blazer guys nearby! Get out of the way so we can see this Yundong Kim dude, Ruki!"

  


"Eh? You all can't see him?"

  


Keigo and Shin raised their hands. "We can."

  


Kosuke rubbed his chin as he moved his head side to side, trying to get a glimpse of Yundong. "Ruki needs to get out of the way… I can barely see him…"

  


The rest of the boys present also commented that none of them are able to see Yundong's presence. After all, Ruki was standing right in front of him conversing. Moments later, they witnessed Ruki bowing, but once he bowed, there was no one standing in front of him.

  


"Eh?" Sho blinked and turned towards Mion. "Who's Prince Ruki talking to?"

  


Mion pointed her open arms towards their direction. "Yundong's there! Tall, black hair, clean cut, fair skin, handsome, red blazer HSS student… you can't see him?" Sho and the rest of the boys shook his head.

  


"Well, I can, a little bit," Era rubbed her chin, also shifting her head side to side. "I mean, I could kind of see him, but I can't make up his face."

  


"Same here," Kosuke confirmed with Era's view. "It's like… his face is blurred…"

  


Lin scratched his head. "Should've brought my binoculars."

  


"How on earth can you guys see him? None of us can see him! It's like Prince Ruki is talking to himself," Tomoaki scratched his head. "We're serious though!"

  


"None of y'all can see him?" Keigo blinked curiously. "As in… none of you all can see Yundong Kim?" Except for Kosuke and Era and Shin, the rest of the boys shook their heads slowly.

  


At that time, Ruki turned around and was already approaching their direction. Mion lowered her head, shaking. Moments later, the boys stood up from the bushes and then surrounded the prince.

  


"Crown Prince Ruki of Hangingake," Crown Prince Youta spoke directly right at him.

  


Ruki faced Youta eye-to-eye. "Crown Prince Youta of Mirukan."

  


"Who was that you were speaking to earlier?"

  


"Hm? Oh, you mean Yundong Kim?"

  


"There's nobody there in front of you! Please explain."

  


"What do you mean by that?" Ruki turned back to the library entrance and spotted Yundong back at the bench, reading his book once more. "He's right there, sitting on the bench!"

  


The boys remained staring at that same spot that Mion and Ruki were standing earlier. Kosuke squinted his eyes, as he can see a figure sitting down, but somehow, the figure's face was blurred. Era did the same thing as her brother.

  


"He's there, alright," Kosuke implied, "but I can't make up his face."

  


"Maybe you need to have your eyes checked, Yasupon?" Junki tapped him on the shoulder.

  


"My eyes are fine! It's your eyes that need checking," Kosuke shook his head. "Y'all really can't see someone sitting on that bench?"

  


"I can see him very clearly," Shin repeated again. "Face and everything."

  


"I can see him clearly too," Keigo also repeated his answer from before. The rest of the boys shook his head.

  


"Ah, Yundong's leaving now," Mion pointed her finger at the bench area. "He's heading to the left… don't know where he's heading though."

  


"Well, that's strange," Youta began to scratch his head. "How on earth can some of you see him but none of us can?"

  


Kosuke patted Youta on the shoulder. "Maybe it's time for y'all to see the optometrist."

  


"I just had my eye exam a few days ago!" Youta began to argue. Mion, Ruki, and the others began to walk back towards the direction of the LEF dorms. "Are you all messing with us, Yasu?"

  


"No, I think Ruki and Mion and even Keigo and Shin here are messing with us," Shosei complained.

  


"Don't look at me," Kosuke shrugged his shoulders. "All your eyes need serious checking."

  


As most of the LEF students walked ahead, Kosuke stayed behind a bit to reach inside his pocket for his phone. Just as he reached for his phone, he felt another tap on his right shoulder. He turned his head to see who it was.

  


"What's up?" Kosuke asked curiously.

  


"Yasupon," Ruki stood right next to him. "Do you have a bit of time right now?"

  


"I'm heading back to the dorms to start packing up. What's up?"

  


"Can I… talk to you for a bit about something… important?"

  


"Me? Did I do something wrong?"

  


Ruki shook his head, "No, not about you. It's actually… about Shin… and me."

  


Kosuke turned his head at all sides to be sure no one was around. "Both of you princes? Of all people you want to talk to…"

  


"Youta doesn't quite understand the whole reishou concept yet, and we don't want to burden him. Shosei… well… I don't want to talk about him. You're the next _senpai_ that we're closest to, Yasupon."

  


"Well… I'm honored to hear that coming from you, Your Highness," Kosuke scratched the side of his head. "If it's really that important, then I'm all ears."

  


Ruki smiled with ease. "Around 4:30, Shin and I will be at the study room, top floor of the library. They usually close the top floor at that time because the school reserves it for royalty. Shin is already making his way up there and put your name in the list as our tutor."

  


Kosuke scratched his head again. "Why as a tutor? We don't have anything else to study until we come back to school next year."

  


"Just come in. The guards will let you in as long as your name tag is on and your school ID is in handy."

  


"Alright. 4:30 then. I'll take a short nap on my dorm then."

  


Ruki smiled, patting Kosuke on the side. "Thanks, Yasupon. I owe you a lot. _We_ owe you a lot."

  


"Yeah, whatever, Ruki."

* * *

  


### Precint #34SN (Present)

  


"Right, lunchtime's over," Kosuke cleared his throat. "Let's clean up."

  


"What? You're just gonna leave us hanging like that?" Syoya crossed his arms. "What did Crown Prince Ruki wanted to talk to you about back then?"

  


"Yeah, I'm curious about that as well, Yasu-niki," Mion nodded in agreement.

  


"When the right time comes, I'll let you all know."

  


"Yasu-niki, what do you mean by that?"

  


"I'll have to have Ruki's permission for that part first before I tell y'all." The rest moaned and pouted, as they all stood up from their seats.

  


The detectives and Heechon cleaned up the break room after they finished with their lunch. The news broadcast on the plasma TV still continued to cover the royals and the upcoming Crown Princes' Grand Ball and the likely eligible candidates to marry the three out of four princes. Lin crossed his arms as he kept his eye on the TV.

  


"That Lady Sanae and Princess Mira are really going to go for this engagement thing, huh?" Lin muttered. "This time, they're aiming for the same prince."

  


"I wonder what happened?" Keigo threw out the empty boxes in their recycling bin. "I mean, both of them were aiming for either Ruki or Shin when we were back in school."

  


"This time, they're aiming for Ruki by himself," Lin shook his head. "Maybe Shin found someone a lot more worthy than those two."

  


Keigo chuckled in response. "Dude, if he did, I'd be happy. Heck, Ruki or Shosei shouldn't even be looking at those two either." Lin nodded in agreement and hi-fived.

  


Syoya curiously turned towards the sisters. "You all said you got close, right? Among the other girls in LEF, which one of you were the closest to?"

  


"Princess Mirai," Mion and Era answered in unison.

  


"Really? Neither Princess Mira or Lady Sanae even tried to be friends with you?"

  


"Well, about that," Mion sat back down on her seat. "Princess Mira is only friendly to us _when_ any one of the princes, especially Shin and Ruki, or even in their RPC inner circle are around."

  


"Lady Sanae is only friendly when she needs something from us," Era sighed, lowering her head.

  


"Need something? Like what?"

  


"Tutoring," Era frowned. "Other than that, those two act like we don't exist."

  


"They're not like those stereotypical rich girls who bully you because you're neither royalty nor nobility like in those poor girl-rich boy high school stories?" The sisters shook their heads.

  


"They can't anyway," Lin joined in. "Those princes always hang around with us 24/7, even at the dorms. They can't do anything to them or any one of us commoners because they know they'll be nearby. Not that we wanted them there. They just happen to be there _all the time_."

  


"Wow. The power of the four princes. Amazing," Syoya gasped.

  


"Right." Kosuke coughed, as he approached the group. "We've got a lot to do today and get all our notes and thoughts organized. We don't head off to Kinshou in less than two weeks, so we got plenty of time to take care of things before we take off."

  


"Yeah," Lin nodded. "I'll call up the parents and let them know the plans. Hopefully they can send some backup to watch over the office while we're gone."

  


"Do that, Aniki," Kosuke nodded. "Kimata, when Mame arrives from school with today's mail, just keep him company if he's got some questions about the Mirukan Royal Academy since he'll be attending that school soon. The rest of you deputies, we'll be having a lot of reading to do."

  


"Reading?" Keigo blinked. "You know I fall asleep really fast when I'm reading."

  


"The box that Mrs. Kim handed to me earlier today at the temple. I took a peek at what's inside earlier. Yundong Kim has written a lot of personal journals. Maybe we'll take a lot of notes from there, do more research on the internet, even learn more of how his life was like before we all met his ghost those seven years ago."

  


"Got it," the sisters confirmed.

  


"Right. Let's get to it."

  


After the cleanup, Heechon thanked the detectives for taking on this case, as well as having him as a guest for their lunch at their agency office's break room. But before he made his leave, he shared his words towards the Raira Detectives.

  


"I can't thank you enough for taking on my family's case for the cousin I never knew," Heechon gave his humble nod. "I'll be praying for your success and safety too."

  


"Thank you all the same for letting us talk to your family, Heechon-senpai," Kosuke replied with the same humility. "You know, once all of this is over, as both author and historian, I think you should be the one to share to the whole world about Yundong Kim - his life, his sacrifices, and whatever it is he's done for the sake of both Hangingake and the Empire of Mirukan. I mean, you may have not met him yourself, but you share the same blood. I think, this is what Yundong would have want for any of his family members to honor him."

  


Heechon nodded in agreement. "I'll see what I can do to make that happen."

  


They made their byes to one another as Heechon made his exit to his car. Right then, the detectives and Syoya headed back to their respective desks and began working on their pre-assignment: finding more about Yundong Kim and the motive behind his murder.

* * *

  


Late afternoon came and the detectives spent most of their time reading through Yundong Kim's journals in the box that Mrs. Kim handed to Kosuke earlier today at the temple. In his inspector captain's office, keeping his door closed, Kosuke compiled all of the fresh notes that his siblings, deputy detectives, have sent him through their network cloud. So far, he compiled the most important facts his deputies gathered from his journals:

  


  

  1. Yundong Kim's interest within his time as an HSS student at the Mirukan Royal Academy, as expected (from Mion and Keigo), was all about the reishou from its roots, history, and the impact of their existence within their world's society, especially with the Empire of Mirukan and his home country, Hangingake.

  

  

  2. Yundong's late older sister, the Hangingakean oracle named Miran, predicted precisely that one of the three royal children of the Hangingake Royal Family will not just become a reishou, but that of the Elite Class. Yundong himself is not a reishou, but his oracle sister was.

  

  

  3. Elite Class reishou are the most powerful of all the reishou: not only that they can see, detect, and communicate with wandering ghosts, they also have the power to summon spirits who already passed on from the earth. They also have the power to let wandering ghosts possess them and also have the power to control them and even dispel them out from their own bodies. They also have the power to exorcise sinister spirits who possess bodies of vulnerable victims. But most of all, they also have the power to send themselves and those with them back in time during the life of a ghost. They also have the power to change any events that may prevent the death of that ghost, but they must also use this power wisely, as they can also disrupt the real flow of time and space continuum.

  

  

  4. According to general Seibara philosophy, Elite Class reishou may also be possible candidates to become gods themselves, however, they also see this as a curse that will bring darkness and destruction to the world. Which was why those of the Inner Seibara denomination must present this Elite Class reishou to the gods for their Cleansing Ritual. Outer Seibara denomination believers revere the Elite Class reishou, and rather than presenting them, they prepare this reishou to become the next possible ruler of the Empire of Mirukan, and possible, the entire world.

  

  

  5. Yundong Kim overheard a private meeting between the Inner Seibara clergy of this _Eradication of the Border Region Act_ along with its details. He recorded the meeting using a mini-cassette tape. He planned on passing on the cassette to his own classmates within Mirukan Royal Academy and pass it on to some of their family members and friends, who happen to be top commanders of the Shouran Rebellion.

  

  

  6. Yundong Kim was only 17-years-old when he "disappeared"/murdered. He went missing/murdered just three days before the Yamabe Raid.

  

  



  


Underneath his handwritten list, he wrote a few questions on his own:

  


_1\. Was the Yamabe Raid the first phase of this whole "Eradication of the Border Region Act" plan?_

  


_2\. The pirates/terrorists who raided, pillaged, and massacred innocent people at Yamabe 14 years ago — > were they hired/paid for by the Inner Seibara denomination? Or are they Inner Seibara practitioners themselves acting as mercenaries?_

  


He walked to his roof-length bookshelf and looked through volumes and volumes of Mirukan's ages old written laws and found a particular volume that pertains to _Laws and Regulations for Government-recognized Organizations_. He removed the volume, sat back down on his desk, and began to flip through post-it bookmarks of pages to look for the section he was looking for.

  


_Religious Organizations, Sects, and Government-recognized Cults_

  


He skimmed through passages and sections of this segment through the volume. He took a highlighter from his box of pens and pencils, uncapped it, and used the tip to skim. Just as he was about to highlight what he was looking for, his desktop phone began to ring. He lifted the receiver and placed it on his ear.

  


"Kimata, I'm busy right now," Kosuke answered immediately.

  


_"Captain Yasu, I'm transferring a call to you. It's from the director of LJB,"_ Syoya answered from the other end. _"It's kind of urgent."_

  


_The League of Judges and Barriers, huh…? The fuck is that mofo want?_ Kosuke sighed, and replied. "Alright, I got it."

  


Syoya hung up and released the held phone call to him. "Sano, this better be good."

  


The Rairas' old high school friend, Fumiya Sano, now the current director of the empire's League of Judges and Barristers, chuckled at the other end.

  


_"I miss you too, Yasupon!"_

  


"My deputies and I are in a middle of a research for an upcoming cold case we're about to take on in two weeks. It's not even under our jurisdiction, what the hell's going on inside Crown Prince Youta's mind? Why didn't he just contact the local detectives around the Royal Capital like the dudes at Precint RC-15?"

  


_"RC-15 has got their hands full with their own cold cases, Yasupon. Besides, the last time I've checked the annual precint records throughout the empire, yours is in a major slump. No open cold cases for some two to three months now? Y'all need to get your asses to work instead of sitting around not doing anything."_

  


"Ugh, fine. You got me there, Sano."

  


_"Good. Anyway, Crown Prince Youta needs stronger reishou tantei, and your precint has them… including yourself. I approved the request to broadening your jurisdiction for this particular case alone… and probably future cases connected to the one your'e about to open."_

  


Kosuke led out a deep sigh. "Okay, so why'd you call? The only time you'd call me is when you got a favor that's got nothing to do with work. Why not send me an email like you used to?"

  


_"Because, as I mentioned to your receptionist, this is urgent. I know your email habits, Raira. You don't read them until some two days later because you suck at checking your email."_

  


"Alright, alright. Okay, so what's going on, Sano?"

  


_"I just want to let you know that this morning, I express priority mailed you three personnel files."_

  


"Three personnel files? Of who…?"

  


_"In addition to doing your pre-assignment prior to your arrival at Kinshou, our beloved Royal Capital of Mirukan, I'm assigning you two new reishou tantei detectives and one forensic investigator who will be assisting you and your deputies on this 'unnamed student' murder case. Believe me, they will be a very valuable asset to your team."_

  


"I don't think Keigo and Mion have lost their touch in communicating and working with the wandering dead and Lin and Era haven't lost touch with their forensic work either. As the saying goes, once you're born a reishou, you're a reishou for life."

  


_"Keigo and Mion won't be enough. Lin and Era won't be enough because of their limited jurisdictions. Trust me on this one. You're going to need them. Besides, I have approval from the RPC to get them on board under your wing."_

  


"You're a member of the RPC yourself, I'm pretty sure you approved this yourself!"

  


_"True, but it doesn't work that way with the RPC. Besides, the two detectives are some of the rarest reishou you'll ever work with. The forensic investigator has more access anywhere than Lin and Era have throughout the empire. In fact, let's just say, you already know them before all of this."_

  


"Oh jeez, seriously, Sano. You're a man of surprises, you know that?"

  


_"That is why I'm the director of the League of Judges and Barristers, old friend."_

  


"Yeah, whatever." Right then, he heard the door knocking. He peered through the window next to the door and spotted Syoya waving directly at him. He was holding large envelopes on his other hand. "My receptionist is here, looks like my courier arrived with today's mail."

  


_"The personnel files should be in his hand. I'll wait."_

  


Kosuke opened his door and Syoya passed on today's mail. "If you don't mind, Mame brought a few friends with him and I'm serving them some refreshments. They just got out of school and finished with their exams too, so I thought they needed some time to rest up."

  


"Thanks for letting me know," Kosuke nodded. "Mame's been a very loyal courier to us. He'd definitely will make a good detective one day. If the heavens believe in him, he may probably even become a reishou himself."

  


"We can only hope, Captain Yasu." Syoya handed the mail to him. "Well, I'll leave you to your business as always."

  


"Thanks again, Kimata." He patted Syoya on the shoulder, as he headed back to his receptionist desk. The inspector captain brought the mail and placed them on his desk. Just as he sat down, he took note that the majority of the mail he received had the empire's seal on them.

  


He decided to use the speakerphone and hung the receiver down. "Mail's here. I got five with the empire's seal on them. Three of them letter-sized envelopes. I'll assume these are the personnel files of these two detectives and forensic investigator who will be joining Precint #34SN?"

  


_"Great! They arrived safely to your hands!"_

  


"Yeah, yeah." He turned to the two other envelopes. One of them was heavily- detailed embossed. "This one with a lot of embossing - I'm guessing this is the official invitation to the Royal Princes Grand Ball?"

  


_"Yep, that's the one. You only need one invitation to present to the guards once you enter the palace. It'll have all of your names indicated there, meaning you will be entering the palace as a group. Bring your badges also, it's very important."_

  


"It's protocol to bring your badges everywhere whether you're at work or not."

  


_"Good to know you stick by the books, Yasu."_

  


Kosuke reached for the second envelope with the empire's emblem printed. He opened and unfolded the letter inside. It turned out to be an official letter of authorization from Sano himself regarding the two new detectives and forensic investigator that will be added to the Precint #34SN roster and that the authorization regarding the unnamed student murder cold case and other cases related to it will solely belong to Precint #34SN with Kosuke as the supervisor.

  


"Thanks for the authorization letter, Sano."

  


_"Anytime, Yasupon."_

  


Finally, he reached for the two larger envelopes. As Sano stated, they both contain official personnel files of the upcoming new personnel who will be working under him. He spotted the surnames on the folder and began to rub his chin. Next, he opened all three folders to reveal their photo IDs.

  


The photos almost choked the redheaded inspector captain. "Are you… are you serious, Sano?!"

  


_"This is why the Shouran Rebellion's Kidnapping mission of the princes must succeed. We've got more than enough plans to be sure that the kidnapping becomes successful."_

  


"Jeez," Kosuke rested his back against his seat. "First, Crown Prince Youta, now you, Sano. Y'all got seriously insane with all this! This is serious suicide mission!"

  


*"And we have to thank you— more specifically your older brother Lin— for all the special technology he concocted back at the Royal University days. Besides, Mirukan has a huge population, it'll be difficult for the common people to even recognize the faces of the Royal Family members, let alone the ones coming from neighbor kingdom Hangingake."

  


"Are you getting all of us killed for this big fiasco you and your RPC homeboys are getting us in to?! You, me, my family, the Kawa-Kawa Law Office, the Shouran Rebels, the crown princes, everybody!"

  


_"Yasupon, this isn't the first time we've pulled out a major fiasco as this. We all started school with the same instructors, all the way till university graduation, certified and licensed. If we're able to pull that off, we'll be able to do the same thing. Of course, this will be harder because we now rely on a few number of reishou tantei to make this succeed."_

  


"Sano, seriously…"

  


_"The world is in our hands, Yasupon. If one of the core LEF philosophy was to save and protect the world from its own darkness and destruction, the time is now."_

  


He sighed loudly and shaking his head, closing the personnel folders. "Even if they're not quite involved in the LEF in real life, can't believe they passed the exams fair and square."

  


_"These well-established personnel is now under your hands, Yasupon. It can't be any other inspector captain throughout the empire who can guide them with this case. It has to be you, Inspector Captain Kosuke Raira."_

  


"Guess I'll have to break the news to the rest of the staff then."

  


_"I think… I think Mion and Era would be happy when they learn who these new detectives are. After all, the whole Shouran Rebellion kidnapping caper isn't exactly the rebels' planning. I think it's time that true love finally prevails!"_

  


"Shut up, Sano! Really."

  


Sano chuckled. _"You never change, Yasupon. Always the cool, collected, and stern detective you're always were. But you're very effective. A kindhearted, considerate young man in person, a beast when you're in work mode. You've always been. Everyone in LEF admired you so much. I wouldn't be where I am now if it wasn't for you. So, we all thank you."_

  


"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

  


_"Alright then. I'll leave it to your researching now. See you in two weeks!"_

  


"Well, thanks for the call, Sano. I do miss talking to you."

  


Sano laughed. _"Sometimes, you have to show a bit of your weakness, you know? Take care, Yasupon."_

  


Kosuke smirked. "Same to you, Sano. Take care." He hung up the phone and went back to the law book volume he was skimming on.

  


He went back to the passage and highlighted it. Finally on his handwritten notes, he wrote the third question underneath the first two:

  


_3\. Was it the Emperor or the Empress who provided authorization to execute this "Reishou Eradication of the Border Region Act"???_

  


He stretched out his arms and legs after seeing so many unexpected surprises he's received this entire day. He turned to the three personnel folders and opened all three of them at the same time. He found himself chuckling, with his hand combing through his red hair.

  


_Yona, Tomo, and Junki were right back then. Never get involved with royalty and high nobility. And this is what we get…_

* * *

  


### Mirukan Royal Academy (7 years ago)

  


Just as agreed earlier, Kosuke arrived at the top floor of the library building to meet up with Ruki and Shin. The top floor were, as Ruki described, heavily guarded with men in suits, as well as uniformed guards representing the different kingdoms and countries ruled under the Mirukan Empire. Once he reached the top floor via elevator, he quickly showed his school ID to all the guards. Immediately, they made way for him and opened the doors.

  


Inside, he spotted all the different students from different royal families of each kingdom and country under Mirukan Empire rule. Some looked surprised that a non-royal was present in their reserved study room, but others who weren't familiar with him welcomed him as if he was one of them.

  


This was the first time that a non-noble student has ever been in one location filled with those of royalty. Even if Kosuke always remained calm and collected, he could also feel goosebumps rising from his skin.

  


At that time, one of the two princesses from his class, Youta's and Shin's stepsister, Princess Mira, recognized him immediately.

  


"Ah, Raira-kun!" The purple-haired curly- locked princess curtsied at him. Kosuke didn't know how to answer but bowed to her instead. "You're expected!"

  


"Good to know," Kosuke replied with his usual cool voice. "Where Shin and Ruki at?"

  


Mira crossed her arms, clearing her throat. "You do realize that you are in a room filled with royals. Your speech isn't exactly appropriate—"

  


"Raira-kun, over here!" Just as Mira was about to speak her usual high-nosed speech, she was interrupted by a much friendlier and familiar female voice from behind.

  


Kosuke spotted Princess Mirai, noted the most popular princess throughout the empire right now, waving right at him. He then turned to Mira immediately, and just as the princess was about to speak to him again, he placed his hand immediately close to her face.

  


"If you will excuse me." He bowed his head again and left her right on the spot. Mira crossed her arms again, glaring.

  


He approached Princess Mirai, with Prince Youta and Prince Shohei on the same table as them. Shohei browsed through different photography galleries on his phone. Youta was indulging on a library book. Mirai was writing on her personal diary. In response, he bowed to all three, as the three royals returned the bowing.

  


"You haven't eaten, have you?" Youta asked a random question, gazing his eyes right at him.

  


"Besides lunch? Not yet. Why?" Kosuke answered curiously.

  


"You like Border Region Yamabe Snack Mix?"

  


"Youta, I mean Your Royal Highness, why are you asking me questions about my favorite junk food?"

  


Shosei cleared his throat immediately. "Oh, Shin and Ruki are at conference room 1C, munching on some Yamabe Snack Mixes like crazy."

  


"Oh boy." Being familiar with the princes' habits since the beginning of the school year, Kosuke gulped nervously. "I get it."

  


"Yasupon, if both princes didn't want you to disclose what you talked about to us, please don't," Youta added. "I rather have them talk to us about it rather than from a third party. You know that already yourself."

  


"Of course. Right, I'm on my way there now."

  


He excused himself with the usual friendly greetings and made his way to the conference room. He gazed through the window of the room and found Shin and Ruki munching on giant bags of the Border Region Yamabe Snack Mix. Normally, the crown princes don't eat junk food or any similar type of snacks in between, but when any of the princes do get nervous and weary, that was when they start binging on junk food.

  


Upon entering, Shin launched a bag of the said Yamabe snack mix, which Kosuke quickly caught it with his left hand. He took a seat at the end, facing both princes. He opened the pouch and began munching himself.

  


"If you're scarfing on pouches of Yamabe snack mixes like y'all gonna die tomorrow, y'all got problems," Kosuke made a note. "Let's hear it."

  


After the princes finished chewing on their snacks, Shin sipped on his water bottle and spoke first. "First, congratulations, Kosuke Raira, as well as the rest of your siblings. You are now officially _one of us._ "

  


Kosuke raised an eyebrow. "The hell do you mean by that? A commoner doesn't become royalty just by hanging around with a bunch of royalty on a daily basis, Shin."

  


Ruki laughed. "No, Yasu. He meant you, Lin-senpai, and Era-chan are now officially _reishou_ like Keigo, Mion, and the both of us."

  


"Ruki, you said earlier that this is more about you two. Why are you talking about me and my siblings now?"

  


Shin handed Kosuke a new bottle of water. Kosuke grabbed it and twisted the bottle open. "We'll be getting to that next, because it is rather important."

  


"We got all night to hang out here as long as nobody barges in and kicks me out for not being royalty." He began to munch on his snacks as he listened to the two princes.

  


"Yasupon," Shin began, "what Ruki is about to tell you is very crucial. Not just to you and your siblings, but also to both Ruki and myself. Now that we've all got one common factor, and we're having a feeling that more of us within the original thirty will become one at a later time, all the more that we have to back each other up in any situation."

  


"In other words," Ruki joined in after he sipped on his water bottle, "all of us have to strengthen our basic camaraderie skills more than ever."

  


"So, what your'e saying is," Kosuke answered after sipping from his water bottle, "you'll be doing a lot more stalking on us, namely Keigo and Mion, right?" The two princes nodded in agreement. "You know, we should be doing the stalking over you princes instead of you dudes doing the stalking. I mean after all, you guys will be the future of this empire, let alone this kingdom alone."

  


"Oh, that?" Shin grinned happily. "We all decided that we drop out of the consideration and let my brother Youta be the real heir to the empire's throne!"

  


Kosuke scratched his head in perplexion. "I ain't no royal, don't really care how royalty life's like, but if I actually had real common sense, I'd say I don't think it works that way, Shin."

  


"If Crown Prince Youta becomes the next emperor after Emperor Raiou's reign is over," Ruki added, "Shin and I, and most likely Shosei, will finally have a chance to use our education, degree, certification, and license that we're earning here at the Mirukan Royal Academy to be future _reishou tantei_. Sitting on a throne telling people what to do doesn't really benefit the people, if you ask me."

  


Kosuke began scratching his head, then sipped more water. "I get your logic, but… you can't just drop out of the throne candidacy and let Youta be the next emperor just like that cuz y'all don't want to. Y'all got laws and practices and procedures to go through all that. Won't your folks be pissed off? And Ruki, you and your bro ain't just candidates for the emperor's seat, y'all are heirs to the Hangingake throne too, and we all know all the other emperors besides Mirukan want Hangingake to be ruled under their empires, you know?"

  


Ruki smirked, as he popped a few more pieces of the snack mix. "Our sister, Princess Honoka, will be the new queen regent after my father's reign ends. Besides, if I become the new emperor of Mirukan after Youta's and Shin's father's reign, this also automatically means I become the new king of Hangingake at the same time. Hangingake under the Mirukan Empire rule. Youta and Shin are my best friends, but I have reasons why I refuse the emperor's throne now. And lately, because of the latest happenings, I also refuse my own kingdom's throne as well."

  


"Look, Yasupon," Shin's tone changed immediately. "We're babbling right now. It's a little uncharacteristic that we'd be acting this way, especially in front of Youta, Shosei, and the rest of the royalty on this floor. We're a lot more comfortable acting like this in front of you."

  


Kosuke began nibbling on his snacks as he listened. He answered after he sipped more water. "So, if both of you succeed in dropping out of the throne inheritance, you'll be free. But also, you'll be losing everything… like your birthright titles, everything."

  


"We'll deal with that later," Ruki nodded. "To be honest…" He paused right then, and started to munch on more snacks and drink more water from his bottle. Right then, the tone of his voice changed to a more worrying level.

  


"Yasu… I'm scared. Well, Shin and I are scared, but for the most part, I'm really scared. I've never been so scared in my entire life because of the events that happened to us here lately."

  


Kosuke sat back up and wiped his fingers on a new napkin. "Ruki, you shouldn't be afraid of anything. Well, I can't say that. I don't know anything about how it feels to be the heir of the seat of one of the most powerful empires in this planet."

  


"The reason why Shin and I determined that you, Lin-senpai, and Era-chan have become _reishou_ earlier today because of what happened earlier."

  


"Earlier?" Kosuke began to sip on his water bottle again.

  


"When you and the rest of the class were spying on Mion and me talking to Yundong Kim at the library."

  


Kosuke almost spat his water after he sipped. "Wha— Yundong Kim again?! Why is it that his name pops up whenever we're talking about _reishou_ -related stuff? I mean I saw him, but I couldn't make up his face, like it's blurred or something!"

  


"That's the thing," Ruki sighed. "That's one of the signs that determines you becoming a _reishou._ If you see a figure from far away but you can't make up the face, that's a sign that you're becoming a _General Class Reishou._ "

  


"What the hell do you mean by 'general class'?"

  


" _General Class Reishou_ is what most active reishou are — reishou who can see ghosts and spirits, but are unable to hear what they say so 'general class reishou' are unable to communicate with them openly. First sign of being on that level is what you, Lin-senpai, and Era-chan witnessed with Yundong."

  


Kosuke waved his hands. "Wait, wait, wait. From all the babbling y'all have been spitting at me since I came in here, are you saying that Yundong is actually—"

  


Shin hushed Kosuke softly. "Yes, Yasupon. Yundong Kim…"

  


"… is dead," Ruki finished the sentence.

  


"Holy shit…" Kosuke began to munch more snacks again, as Ruki continued.

  


"It was during my talk with Yundong Kim that I discovered a lot, not just about him, but also about myself," Ruki sighed.

  


Kosuke stared immediately at the two princes with worry. "Does Mion know about this? I mean about Yundong Kim?" Both princes shook their heads.

  


Ruki let out a deep sigh. "Please don't tell Mion about Yundong. Not right now. I know how happy she is when she sees him, talks to him, thinks about him. It's hard to eventually find out who Yundong really is, but… I don't want to be the one to tell her. I don't want anyone else to tell her about him." He sipped on his water bottle again. "I don't want to be the one who will hurt her if I end up breaking the news about who Yundong Kim really is."

  


"I see. You're right," Kosuke nodded in agreement. "When she does find out eventually, all we can do is to comfort her. When none of the siblings or I aren't there with her, will you do that for us?"

  


Ruki nodded. "Of course."

  


"Well then," Kosuke changed the subject. "So, how do you know that Yundong Kim's dead, Ruki?"

  


"I think… I'm an Elite Class Reishou, Yasu. That's why I'm scared right now. That's why I want to give up my birthright and my title and be a normal commoner like you guys right now."

  


"Elite Class Reishou…" Kosuke muttered. "From what I can remember from Mion's and Keigo's first project assignment before, they're…" He began to list out all the qualities of an Elite Class reishou out to them. "So, Ruki, at first sight, you already knew Yundong Kim was a wandering ghost all along?"

  


Ruki nodded. "It was a good thing I tagged along with Mion and knew it right away. I knew there was something strange about Yundong Kim from the beginning, ever since our first encounter at the Muyoudake those months ago. I even noticed the book he was reading, which was completely out of print for some twenty years in our country already. There was no way in hell that a student during this time would have possession of that book looking like new.

  


"To us reishou, we see some purely human wandering spirits as everyday living humans, but to an Elite Class reishou, the moment you take a closer look at that wandering spirit, you would still see that person as if he was a normal human, but the voice he speaks out echoes through your ears. It's not solid, just echoing and very faint." He gazed directly at Kosuke. "You, Lin-senpai, and Era-chan are just the beginning. If you see Yundong Kim the next time, you'll completely see him the same way as we do. Even with what you saw earlier, you're already become reishou."

  


"Hold on," Kosuke shook his head, as he sipped more on his water. "I think I see where you're coming from, Ruki. You… and Shin… You're both Elite Reishou?"

  


Shin shook his head. "I don't know about me. Maybe I'm just Grand Class, but Ruki here…"

  


"Did you see how I bowed while you guys were spying on me? And then most of you were complaining that it seemed like I wasn't talking to anyone in front of me?" Ruki continued.

  


"Yeah? Then when you stood up and moved a bit, I saw Yundong already sitting on the bench. That was strange…"

  


"Well… when I bowed… it wasn't me bowing. It was Yundong Kim… inside me."

  


Kosuke accidentally dropped a piece of his snack on the table, realizing what just happened then. "So… Yundong… He possessed you, Ruki?"

  


Ruki nodded again. "And since I knew that I was possessed then, I was able to kick him out of my body, once I stood, by thinking about it. It's strange, but that's how I did it. Grand Class reishou can be possessed too, except the reishou can't control the spirit that's possessing them, which makes them dangerous if the spirit refuses to leave their bodies. I'm not the only one scared, but Shin here too is scared the same."

  


Shin sipped on his water again. "So, when we head to Hangingake for our holidays, we'll have to talk to Ruki's and Shosei's sister, Princess Honoka. Sure, the senior royals may be Inner Seibara, but Princess Honoka recently converted to Outer Seibara against their parents' wishes. We'll be talking about how we're going to plan on dropping out from being throne candidates."

  


"And… when we do succeed, some years from now," Ruki spoke softly, "will you take us under your wing?"

  


"My wing? What do you mean?"

  


"Didn't you and your siblings say that one day, you'll take over your parents' detective agency and carry on their name and legacy?"

  


"Eventually, and for sure, we'll be getting bombarded with hundreds of cold cases that we need to finish. But, why me?"

  


"Then," Ruki repeated, "take us under your wing when Shin and I are no longer crown princes."

  


"It's either that, Yasu, or it'll be the end of Ruki and me," Shin added.

  


Kosuke's expression froze, taking in everything he's heard into his mind. Moments after he munched and finished his entire snack pouch and finished his water bottle, he gave a nod.

  


"Okay. I got your backs. All the way."

  


"Thank you." The three students stood from their seats, as Kosuke embraced the two princes tightly. As he hugged both princes, his mind continued on with those same words earlier.

  


_Why me? Why does it have to be me?_

* * *

  


### Precint #34SN (Present)

  


Kosuke buried his face against the open personnel folders of the three new detectives who will eventually join the Raira Family & Deputies Detective Agency, Precint #34SN. Slowly, he began to bounce his forehead gently against the desk thinking about that moment seven years ago when he made a promise to the princes that he would take them under his wing. He slammed his fist right after, as he lifted his head.

  


Quickly, he closed the three folders and placed them in one of his drawers. Right then, he heard a door knock. He peeked through the window to see Syoya again. He signaled his hand to enter.

  


"Captain Yasu, turn on the TV right now. We've got a problem."

  


"What now?" Kosuke frowned and turned on the plasma TV on his wall with the remote control. The empire's 24-hour news played with breaking news.

  


_"The chancellor of the Mirukan Royal Academy has announced that the project for the new library building and lake has been approved. The tearing down of the current library building for the new construction will begin in three weeks—"_

  


"Oh shit…" Kosuke cursed at the headline of the news and turned to Syoya. "Thanks for letting me know. Get the rest of the staff at the meeting room in about fifteen minutes."

  


"Sure thing." Syoya bowed and made his exit to gather the rest of the team.

  


Meanwhile, Kosuke picked up the receiver of his phone and pressed one of the preset buttons. The preset number was labeled "Director's Office — Empire of Mirukan League of Judges and Barristers."

  


_"Yasupon, hi there!_ " Sano answered the phone excitedly.

  


"Sano, are you watching the news right now?"

  


_"Why?"_

  


"Just turn it on right now!"

  


There was a short pause then, with Kosuke assuming Sano was already watching the news on TV.

  


_"What on earth… They're tearing down the library in a few weeks? Why so quick?"_

  


"I don't know, but tearing down the library is going to hinder our investigation and finding Yundong Kim's ghost."

  


_"Okay, okay. Just calm down, Yasupon. Let me think… Maybe I can convince the chancellor to delay the teardown."_

  


"Nah, don't do that. We don't want to cause any public news headlines because of that. Remember, this investigation is supposed to be covert, as Youta said on his letter to me. I got a better idea."

  


_"Alright, make it quick."_

  


"I don't have the Kawa-Kawa Law Offices' phone number or email address. Can you just let Ren and Takumi know to pick us up earlier instead of three days before the grand ball?"

  


_"How early are we talking about?"_

  


"Um… like a week before?"

  


_"A week before? That's too soon, bro! Both of them are in a middle of a civil trial right now. But I'll see what I can do. I'll contact Youta immediately after I'm done with our call. Maybe he'll have a quicker solution."_

  


"Okay. I'm having a meeting with the team in about ten minutes or so."

  


_"Alright. Just inform them about the library teardown and just wait till I call you back."_

  


"You're a lifesaver, Sano. You really are," Kosuke sighed in deep relief.

  


_"Will keep in touch."_

  


After Kosuke hung up the phone, he checked his drawer where he placed the personnel folders there to be sure they're kept safe. Then, he exited his office to meet with the team in the meeting room.

  



	5. Sankinran (Three Golden Eggs)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seven years later after their graduation from the Mirukan Royal Academy and Mirukan University, the Rairas arrive at Kinshou, the Royal Capital city of the Empire of Mirukan, to begin their investigation on The Unnamed Student Murder cold case, which now became the Yundong Kim Murder cold case. They reunite with some of their old friends from the Mirukan Royal Academy, including LJB director Fumiya Sano, the Precinct #RC-15 detectives, and Sho Yonashiro and Tomoaki Ando, now co-commanders of the elusive, mysterious Shouran Rebellion. They receive a briefing on the cold case, as well as this huge operation that the crown princes, the Shouran Rebels, and Sano concocted on the day of the Royal Princes' Grand Ball, known as "Operation Sankinran."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first chapter that doesn't have any flashback scenes. This is also the first time that we'll be seeing what the crown princes are up to at the present time.
> 
> Also, I'm not really used to writing Korean names, as I only go by their Katakana names, so sorry for the possible mispellings of the HALO members >.<

### Precinct #34SN (Present - a week and a half later)

  


The retired detectives and the Raira Siblings' semi-adopted parents, Goro and Jun Raira, arrived with a few of the currently active but slumped detectives from neighboring Precincts early morning. They came there for the purpose of keeping Precinct #34SN open while the Raira Siblings and their receptionist, Syoya Kimata, leave Yamabe for the empire's royal capital city of Kinshou for the huge fiasco they're about to get themselves into involuntarily. Hopefully, there wouldn't be much in-demand cold cases to be opened while the siblings are away, and if there were heavier ones, they would simply reassign them to the neighboring Precincts especially if they involved a reishou tantei to work on them.

  


Mrs. Jun Raira prepared breakfast for the siblings at their quarters upstairs from the office area of french toast, eggs, bacon, and ham. Kosuke succeeded in getting his request granted by their old high school buddy, Director of the League of Judges and Barristers Fumiya Sano, when he was able to get their departure date from three days before the ball to five days. However, as planned from the letter, no one from the Kawa-Kawa Law Office were able to pick them up two days before the original scheduled day. Instead, Sano requested for anyone from Precinct RC-15 to pick them up instead. Much to their hopes, four detectives from RC-15 will arrive with the government-established airship belonging to the LBJ.

  


Just like the others they encountered with prior to the case they're about to open, most of the Precinct RC-15 personnel, including its inspector captain, were also old school friends of theirs from Mirukan Royal Academy. Upon hearing the news, Kosuke and his deputy detectives burst out laughing. This was going to be more of a school reunion than a huge caper they're about to get involved with. After their three-month slump of not being able to work with any cold cases, not only they're back in action but also will be reuniting with their old friends.

  


"Precinct RC-15, huh," retired detective Goro Raira responded after Kosuke gave his father the run down on what they're about to do after they take off for the royal capital. "Precinct RC-15 is one of the biggest, most elite government-registered detective agencies throughout the entire empire with a very high reputation for having topnotch detectives and an unbeatable record of the number of reported cold cases solved per year, both standard and reishou tantei, namely because their clientele are strictly from the high nobility, VIPs, and even from royal families throughout the empire." He sipped from his coffee as he watched his children feast on their breakfast plates. "You five could've joined RC-15 after university and stayed at the Royal Capital instead of coming back home here to take over our Precinct. We've got more than enough qualified staff to be inspector captain."

  


"Dad, not this again," Kosuke frowned, sipping on his coffee. "We keep telling you, we've got reasons why we rather come back home instead of making it big by being RC-15 detectives."

  


"You've got plenty of friends who are in RC-15, Kosuke. All five of you even had a lot of letters of recommendations from your professors and even your classmates from the high nobility too. The current inspector captain was one of your classmates back in school as well."

  


"After your retirement, no one else is gonna care about local cold cases that took place at the Border Region," Kosuke continued to argue. "I mean, I'm not saying no one else, but there wouldn't be a lot of you left. You need some fresh blood like us to continue the legacy and service for all the small towns and villages here at the Border Region."

  


"Still," Goro continued, "the four of you could've done so much better back at the Royal Capital. You wouldn't be in a three-month slump like this if you stayed there."

  


"Dad, please…" Kosuke lead a deep sigh. Keigo decided to change the subject in order to uplift the moods.

  


"Wait, who was RC-15's inspector captain again? Was it Kazuki Tanabe, right?" Keigo chuckled to himself. "He had the whole clown crew as part of the RC-15 team, but they're awesome detectives too."

  


"Junki Kono, Shunya Osawa, Jun Uehara, Shuta Urano, Tatsutoshi Miyazato…" Lin snickered, thinking about the names. "A lot of their top detectives were from our class, for sure. But they were the clown squad before. Those clowns and Tanabe… I miss those fools."

  


"Yeah," Era chuckled, "and those five are the ones who's actually gonna come and pick us up."

  


"I don't get why we need five detectives to come over here and pick us up when we only need at least two," Lin rubbed his chin.

  


"Maybe they all can't wait to see is, Lin-nii," Era grinned. "I really miss them. They're a fun bunch!"

  


"Yeah," Lin shook his head. "They're a fun bunch, all right. You and Mion like to smack them all at random when you're all randomly pissed."

  


"Shut up, Lin-nii," Era frowned with her arms crossed.

  


"Four-hour traveling by airship," Mion nodded, "we've got four hours catching up with those guys after not being able to see them for years now."

  


"Four years," Kosuke sighed. "Way too long."

  


Goro continued on. "I know it's none of my business, but maybe it's time for you to really reach out to all your old friends and not bury whatever it was in the past by burying them as well." He then turned to his daughters. "Mion, Era, instead of the two of you being stuck here seeing the same people, you would've met more people. Maybe find your potential husbands, you know? You— and the rest of you boys— aren't getting any younger."

  


"We're still young and eligible, regardless, Dad," Era chuckled as her response. "Once everything's laid low, we'll start our own personal social lives with other people."

  


"And you had three months of not doing anything up till today. What were you five up to anyway?"

  


"Studying," Mion answered. "We were studying… and keep up with today's current events."

  


The retired detective stood up from his table. "Well, when you're all done, just place all the dishes at the counter. Your mom and I are gonna wash them up."

  


"You sure, Dad? I mean we still got time to clean up," Keigo stood up, collecting all the empty soiled dishes.

  


"Your receptionist Kimata-kun and your new future intern still has to arrive at the lobby downstairs, Keigo. It's fine."

  


The rest of the detectives also finished their breakfast and helped Keigo in cleaning up their dining table. At that time, Jun Raira, the detectives' semi-adopted mother, arrived with two small velvet black boxes in her hands. The top of the box has the gold-lined embossed emblem of their alma mater, Mirukan Royal Academy. She approached the two sisters.

  


"While we were packing up and cleaning up the house yesterday, look what we found," Jun smiled, handing the two boxes to them.

  


"Eh? But these are our senior collar pins," Mion gasped.

  


"If they're yours, why aren't your names on it? It has someone else's names on them? Boys'names?"

  


"Eek, Mom!" Era yelped in surprise and immediately grabbed the boxes from their mothers' hands while Jun softly giggled. She opened one of the boxes, saw the name underneath, and handed it to Mion. "Mou, Mom…" She found herself blushing right then.

  


Mion opened the box and saw the silver collar pin on display, but the name engraved on it was not her name. Quickly she closed the box and placed it in her pocket. "Mom, why did you bring it along?"

  


Jun smiled. "After how many years now, you haven't been back to the Royal Capital. And because this major cold case you're about to work on at the Royal Capital involves all the people you cared and loved during your youth, you might as well bring them along."

  


"Mom, that's old high school stuff," Mion gave a little frown. "High school superstitions aren't true, you know that. Never really believed in that crap in the first place."

  


"Same here," Era shook her head. "I mean yeah, we exchanged our pins but that's cuz that's what homeboys and homegirls do, right? And they came up to us first and wanted our pins, so yeah, we did it."

  


Jun turned to the boys and continued on. "What was that Mirukan Royal Academy superstition that you had about the senior collar pins on graduation day?"

  


Kosuke and Lin rolled their eyes while shaking their heads, while Keigo volunteered to answer. "About the senior collar pins? Yeah! On graduation day, when a guy offers his high school silver collar pin to the girl he likes the most and agrees to exchange with hers, in seven years, when those two same people meet again and reveal that they still have one another's collar pins, it means they're soulmates and are meant to be together. Girls are really into that stuff, but guys join in too."

  


"Did you exchange your collar pin with some girl back then, Keigo?" Kosuke snickered after overhearing Keigo's answer.

  


Keigo raised an eyebrow at his older brother. "Did you, Yasu-niki?" The two brothers chuckled, as they finished cleaning the table.

  


Jun began washing the dishes by hand and continued on with the chatter. "Mion, Era, do you girls remember the first time we visited the local oracle? What was her name again?"

  


"Oracle Kanae," Era answered. "May she rest in peace."

  


"Ah, yes," Jun nodded.

  


"That was all your idea, Mom," Mion chuckled. "It was the time when you were so worried about us spending our school days at the Royal Capital because it'd be the first time we'd be living somewhere without parental supervision. We had all five of us together, so we're still safe."

  


"You girls were still young back then, I remember," Jun laughed. "But you know, as a parent, I can't help it. We visited Oracle Kanae back then to be sure that you girls will be safe and in good hands at your new school."

  


"And look at us," Era laughed. "We turned out fine."

  


Jun nodded in agreement. "Maybe we should visit her again and thank her."

  


The two sisters quickly glanced at one another with shock. "At her grave, Mom?"

  


"Well, you kids aren't taking off for Kinshou in two hours anyway. You still got time to visit the mound."

  


Mion crossed her arms. "Era's General Class reishou. I'm Central Class reishou. Neither of us have any powers to call forth the dead from the heavens, remember?"

  


"Who says Oracle Kanae has ascended to the heavens already?" Jun gave a slight smile on her face. "Besides, all of you won't be here when we have our solemn ceremony at the mound in five days. You'd better off visiting the mound and pay respects to our townspeople who left before us. What do you all think?"

  


Kosuke checked on his smartphone and opened his calendar. He realized then that the Royal Princes' Grand Ball happened to land on the same day as Yamabe Memorial Day. He placed his hand on his eyes, sighing, knowing he and most likely the rest of his siblings have forgotten about this day.

  


"You're all reishou, remember," Goro reminded them, patting all three boys on the shoulders. "You won't be here on that day to honor the dead, but at least, you can communicate with everyone there of your upcoming mission at the Royal Capital. Besides, when was the last time you've visited the markers of your loved ones?"

  


Kosuke nodded in agreement. "You're right, Dad. Let's stop by the mound before we leave today."

* * *

  


### YAMABE MEMORIAL MOUND (Present)

  


The famed Yamabe Memorial Mound is a large, open, and peaceful cemetery where all of the town's deceased were buried our memorialized. The plots are also separated by categories, such as based on ancestry, religion, occupation, and such. And then, there was the largest plot of all: the plot where all the ones buried lost their lives during the heinous Yamabe Raid that happened fourteen years ago. They called that particular plot of land as _The Mound of Yamabean Heroes_.

  


The Raira Family stopped by the The Yamabean Heroes' mound, where Lin's, Kosuke's, and Keigo's families were buried. They made sure they bought some flowers from the neighborhood florist before they arrived there. Era, being the only biological child of Goro and Jun Raira, stood along with her four older adopted siblings, where they didn't just place the flowers on their respective families' markers, but they were also there to visit the spirits who have been sitting by their own markers and gravestones.

  


Kosuke and Lin, both as General Class reishou, could only use their hands using a special reishou to spirit sign language, with the spirits of their families. Keigo, a Central Class reishou, can communicate with his own family verbally. Mion, who still has no clue where her origins came from, can only speak with a black hooded figure, who brought her as a toddler at the Rairas' door while being severely injured and eventually died on that same day.

  


At that time, they had a small picnic, in which Jun laid out a picnic blanket for them to sit around in a circle, with non-reishou humans not noticing that the spirits were also part of their circle.

  


"Fourteen years, all of us here at the heroes mound, have been waiting," Lord Junpei Sato, Keigo's late father, spoke with his still solid voice. "And I see that you have finally found your leads."

  


Keigo nodded slowly with his bottom lip bit. "Yes, Father. We have a lead, and we'll be leaving for the Royal Capital in about an hour when our airship lands here. When we get there, that's when the real work begins."

  


"It's about time," Daichi Usugi, Lin's late grandfather, spoke out, as he also used his sign language to communicate with his living grandson. "Sure, we're no longer living in physical bodies, but even as spirits, we are getting tired of waiting."

  


"Maybe this is the year," Sanosuke Honda, Kosuke's late father, joined in the conversation. "This is the year that all of us at the Heroes' Mound will finally be put to rest. My one and only son and this kindhearted, hardworking Raira Family, will finally save us and our living descendants of Yamabe from injustice. This is why instead of us being sad that you won't be here on our memorial day, we are all thrilled that you will be stepping out of this town's boundaries and seek justice for the ones who's done our town and our people wrong."

  


Kosuke used his sign language to answer his late father. _Once this is all over, I made a vow to the Rairas that I'll be reverting back to my old family name to continue honoring all of you._

  


"No," his mother, Kourin Honda, answered him. "My son, there is a reason why you and Lin and the Young Master Keigo adapted the surname of the ones who saved your lives from that horrid day. If you truly want to honor us, your past families, there is only one thing we ask of you-- all of you."

  


The spirits spoke simultaneously right at them, speaking the same words.

  


_Seek justice. Find the demons who have done us and all of Yamabe wrong fourteen-years-ago. We will not rest until justice is served._

  


The detectives fell silent, then bowed their bodies to the spirits for a few seconds. Their adoptive parents also bowed the same way.

  


"Unless you seek advice in your investigation," Lord Sato added, "do not return to Yamabe and do not return here at the Heroes' Mound. You have to keep moving forward or you'll never succeed. Return here when you have finally closed this case."

  


"Yes, Father." Keigo nodded. The family stood up, said their final prayers, and bowed once more, making their leave from their visit.

  


As they leave the Heroes' Mound, making their way towards the parking lot, they pass by another plot, where Yamabe's past oracles were put to rest. As they continue passing on by, Mion heard a familiar voice coming from the Oracles' Mound.

  


"My child, Mion Raira. How wonderful to see you visiting the mound again!"

  


Mion stopped and slowly turned, where she spotted a colorfully robed old woman standing underneath an oak tree. _Oracle Kanae? But… how come I can see her?_ She turned towards the family and mentioned seeing Oracle Kanae's spirit hanging around the oak tree.

  


"I'm Central Class reishou. You can't exactly get promoted to another level once you're classified what level reishou you are," Mion crossed her arms.

  


"We'll be at the car, Mion," Kosuke waved his hand. "Go and talk to the late oracle."

  


"Alright." Mion approached the oak tree, where the smiling, glowing Oracle Kanae stood and rested, waving directly at her.

  


"Oracle Kanae… I'm surprised that I can see you here, even if I'm Central Class reishou," Mion bowed to the late oracle.

  


The oracle softly chuckled. "You are still a Central Class reishou. As much as you wish that I've already ascended to the heavens, I'm not."

  


Mion lifted her head and led out a sigh. "But you've lived a long-lasting, fulfilling, happy life! You were surrounded by all your loved ones while you take your last breaths. Is there anything missing that you couldn't ascend to the heavens yet?"

  


The oracle sighed. "I may be a happy and content person, but I am also a very stubborn oracle. I have to complete my record of a legendary oracle whose predictions and prophecies of the people who came to visit me have been fulfilled. Unfortunately, I am not that legendary yet because of all the prophecies I've given, there is only one that still hasn't come true yet."

  


"Really?" Mion placed her finger on her chin. "Maybe I can take this as a mini-cold case and do this favor for you?"

  


"Oh good, you're listening," the oracle smirked. "There is one single prophecy that I made that hasn't come true yet, and that has to come true before I can finally meet the gods."

  


"Who are we talking about here?"

  


"Why you, my dear."

  


Mion took a few steps back. "Me? But all the prophecies you've called out for me since I was a kid all came true. My dreams of becoming an LEF student at the Royal Capital came true, I graduated summa cum laude twice, both in high school level and university level, passed all the tests to earn my certification and licensing as a standard detective and a reishou tantei—"

  


"That's what I was afraid of," the oracle sighed, crossing her arms. "My child, my child…"

  


"What? I'm doing really well right now!"

  


"You haven't been paying attention at all. My prophecies about your successes is not what I was referring to."

  


"I don't remember any other prophecy you gave me besides those…"

  


"Have you found your one true soulmate? Your true love?"

  


"What?" Mion held herself from bursting into laughter, as she began to ponder to herself. "I didn't seek you for that, it was always about my future as a detective and living my life the way I wanted that was my concern—"

  


"No, you didn't seek me for any prophecies regarding love, yes, true. But I did call it on the same day as you asked me for any possibilities of you and your siblings being able to pass the LEF entrance exams those seven years ago."

  


As she listened to the oracle's words just now, that was when she began to recall that one particular day. Right then, she slapped herself on the forehead.

  


"Oh. I see. I remember… and I stopped believing in that."

  


"Why did you stop believing in that prophecy of true love, Mion?"

  


"Because, throughout my high school years, I was so hung up with a fellow student who was all along dead! Yundong Kim… well, back then, I thought he was my perfect prince of my dreams… and then on the day I finally confessed to him by handing him my very first love letter to him— along with a special bento box I made for him, all handmade from scratch… he broke my heart when he said he couldn't accept my feelings and my bento box."

  


At that time, she ended up sitting underneath the same oak tree, with Oracle Kanae sitting next to her. "No one ever understood the tears I had to endure on that day. I couldn't eat… couldn't sleep… I was even embarrassed to tell the other reishou about Yundong being a wandering ghost… I've never felt so much pain and heartbreak that I…"

  


"Yes?"

  


Mion found herself trailing for words, then with courage, finally opened up. "… I ran to the balcony of our floor of the dorm building and wanted to… kill myself."

  


"What? Have you gone mad then?"

  


Mion shook her head. "I was just a young girl in love with a boy who turned out to be a ghost. I was desperate that I wanted to kill myself and be a ghost… so I can be with him."

  


"And yet, here you are, a successful detective, a reishou tantei even. What prevented you from doing something stupid such as that?"

  


"Well…" Mion cleared her throat, then closed her eyes. "Someone… stopped me."

  


"Was it your sister? One of your brothers?"

  


"No… it was… it was one of my best friends. He pulled me away from the balcony… and all I said to him was to get lost. I was a horrible friend then, but… he talked me out of it."

  


"This friend of yours must care for you very much."

  


Mion nodded in agreement. "I… I don't think I thanked him enough. I don't know what he's up to right now. We haven't spoken to each other for some five years, maybe."

  


"You should try to reach out to your friends again when you have the chance."

  


"Yeah." Mion swallowed, then continued: "I wanted to tell myself that Yundong led me on, but in reality, he didn't mean any harm. He… He was just being a friend… a kind friend."

  


"You really were blinded by that one Yundong Kim, haven't you, Mion?" Oracle Kanae shook her head. "Do you remember the exact words I've said to you about this particular prophecy?"

  


"Er… Kind of…" Mion smiled nervously, scratching her head.

  


"Let's hear it."

  


Mion sighed deeply, then answered reluctantly. "The first boy I see with a smile on his face… the first boy I see who holds my hand… the first boy who will always be there when the chips are down… the first boy I turn to when I need a shoulder to lean on when none of my brothers are around… the first boy who will come to my aid when I couldn't stop crying… the first boy to come up to me and ask me to make an exchange… the first boy who kisses me without asking…"

  


"… Is the one you are truly meant to be… your soulmate… Your one and only true love," Oracle Kanae completed with a smile on her face.

  


Mion pondered the thoughts for a few seconds, then quickly shook her head. "Nah!"

  


"No?"

  


"There's too many dudes in my class back then to the point that I only see all 25 of them as my extended brothers _along_ with the 3 that I have right now. I got three brothers who aren't really related to me, why not 22 more, right? Ever since then, it was Yundong Kim… always Yundong Kim." She turned towards the oracle and continued on. "Besides the Raira Boys, there's these three dudes that we call as the SixPacks Team. They're more like Yasu-niki's and Keigo's homeboys and rivals with whatever since they're all the same cocky fools. Then we got five princes— four of them candidates to become the next emperor— the rest are high nobility and— naw! That's what I mean— Nah!"

  


"Oh Mion… Dear. You _really_ haven't been paying attention to everyone surrounding you back then, haven't you?"

  


"They're all cool and all, but all I cared about back then was to graduate with success and honors and desire and become a successful cold case detective— on top of that, a reishou tantei. I got no time messing around and flirting with the guys in my class when most of them were being chased after by their fellow princesses and noble ladies and— yes, Oracle Kanae, I'll say it again. Nah!"

  


"You— even your sister Era— are really hopeless."

  


"Besides… Besides Yundong, no one's really come up to me and Era and treat us as girls. When they see us, they're either seeing us like their fellow homeboys or they're scared of us. I lean more towards them being scared of us."

  


"No one? Are you sure about that? No one?" Mion shook her head quickly. "I did remember hearing that you did exchange your Mirukan Royal Academy senior collar pin with a boy in your class—"

  


"Oh come on, not that stupid myth," Mion frowned. "It was just a friendly exchange because we really worked well together throughout those years and you know, we were the best of friends, you know? Eventually, we ended up in the same course paths too when we got into Mirukan Royal University and nothing really happened between us. Besides, it's impossible. There's just no way."

  


"Why do you say there is no way?"

  


"Because… There's just no way! I mean, him and me? We're miles apart from each other. He's all the way up there—" She raised her right hand above her head, then lowered it right below her knee, "— and I'm down here. That's how miles apart we are."

  


"Is that what you really believe? For someone who's adamant in doing research first at everything, you're not doing a very good job doing research on matters such as this." Oracle Kanae led out a deep sigh, then changed the tone of her voice. "I have another prophecy for you that I have high hopes that this will finally get me ascended to the heavens, Mion dear."

  


"Oh boy…" Mion placed her hands over her ears.

  


"It's got nothing to do whether you're going to die soon or not because of your line of work. No, too early to predict that."

  


She placed her hands down. "Alright. Let's hear it."

  


"That same boy I originally prophesied to you those seven years ago… you will see him again when you land at the Royal Capital. Not later today, but while you are at your line of work at the Royal Capital. Not only that you will see him again when you're there, _he_ will be the one who will approach you, just like how he'd always been the one approaching you first those seven years ago. From there, we shall see."

  


Mion's expression showed perplexity, scratching her head at the same time. "I think guys in general are scared of me. Don't think that'll happen."

  


Just as the two were about to continue on with their conversation, Mion was startled to hear Kosuke's voice calling out right at her.

  


"Mion, are you done talking to yourself? We gotta go, the RC-15 peeps are arriving really soon!"

  


"About time," the oracle smiled at her, with her almost transparent hand patting on Mion's shoulder. "I wish you well and success in your case."

  


Mion bowed. "Thank you. Um… I guess I'll pay attention next time, so that you can finally ascend to the heavens."

  


"Trust your heart and let it happen, Mion dear."

  


She waved goodbye to the oracle, and then turned right towards Kosuke, with arms already crossed. Once she reached him, she explained to him her talk with the late oracle just now. The inspector captain broke into laughter.

  


"I think I know who that oracle was talking about," Kosuke chuckled, then placed his arm around his sister.

  


"You do?"

  


"You'll find out when we get to Kinshou."

  


"Hmph," She remained her arms crossed as the two made their way towards the parking lot.

* * *

  


### PALACE OF THE WHITE ROCK - TENYOU, KINGDOM OF HANGINGAKE (Present - some 3 hours later)

  


The Palace of the White Rock is the primary residence of the Hangingake Royal Family and is also the government center of the majestic, technically advanced Kingdom of Hangingake. It is a self-independent kingdom not being ruled over by any of the existing empires including the Empire of Mirukan, and by itself is also the wealthiest self-ruling kingdom in the entire world. Hangingake holds the highest per capita income, thanks to their advanced technology, efficient agriculture, and centuries of picturesque prosperity that also made this country the most expensive to have tours and vacations by foreigners.

  


The emperor of the Mirukan Empire was lucky enough to have some blood relations with the Hangingake Royal Family, being a cousin of the current King of Hangingake. This, of course, would make Crown Prince Youta and his younger brother, Crown Prince Shin, be second cousins to their best friends, Crown Prince Ruki and younger brother, Crown Prince Shosei. Emperor Raiou wishes that either Youta or Shin, his two sons, would be the next heir, but because of Hangingake's long-standing greatness throughout the entire world, he too was also tempted to have the kingdom be part of the empire. Rather than causing any controversies or declaring wars with his cousin, King Rankai III of Hangingake, it was better to have one of his sons be a candidate for emperor instead. The offer sounded tempting, but there are also those who are against the idea.

  


At a press conference room, the four princes are holding their own news conference with the local and global news panel about the upcoming Crown Princes' Royal Ball. Youta and Shin are currently on vacation for two more days at Hangingake, which was why they were present. Questions about the ball, the rumored candidates, and other things unrelated to the current issues around the empire or Hangingake were throne as the princes answered them gracefully and with dignity. Moments later, when the Hangingake press secretary declared to end the press conference and those present were dismissed gradually, one of the Mirukan princes' representatives arrived with a piece of folded paper and approached Youta, handing the paper to him.

  


Youta turned around, making sure no one else but the princes can see his actions, and slowly opened the note. With a quick shift, he shared the paper to his fellow princes with the message handwritten:

  


_11:35 — 34SN and RC-15 arrived in Kinshou Airport via Imperial Police airship._

  


Their bodyguards began to escort them out of the conference room and into a further section, directly at another lounging room, where there was no one else there except those assigned to protect them. Ruki lead them by offering them small shots of red wine and freshly prepared snacks and fruits already waiting for them there. As they rested and lounged, the princes' stern expressions on their faces at the conference room suddenly broke into smiles and sighs of relief.

  


"Seven years…" Shin muttered while smiling right then. "Seven years sounded like infinity."

  


Youta grinned, as he nibbled on his biscuit. He turned to both Ruki and Shosei, with huge smiles on their faces. "I'll make plenty of guesses what those smiles mean."

  


"Freedom, that's what's saying on their faces," Shin chuckled along.

  


"No, Shin," Youta shook his head, with his smile still remaining. "There's more to just freedom, but yes, I agree."

  


Ruki then broke his silence and turned towards Youta. "Are you sure you don't want to join us after the grand ball, Youta?"

  


Youta nodded. "The emperor and empress still needs its designated regent, Ruki. If all four of us… disappear… then all the more that things will get suspicious."

  


"Besides," Shin added, "we also have to protect our late mother's most loyal forces as well."

  


"The Shouran Rebels?" Shosei asked curiously, chewing on his purple grapes.

  


"When I become emperor," Youta began, sipping on his wine as well, "I'll be sure to assign Yona and Tomo in the highest seats and reward those rebels for remaining loyal to the empire the right way. Besides us, they're the ones who care more of Mirukan's well-being than the current regents sitting on those seats."

  


"I also trust you will leave Hangingake on its own rule as emperor, Youta-niki?" Ruki changed his tone, sipping on his wine.

  


"My father before wanted to have your sister and me engage to marry when we were little," Youta nodded, "but there's also Mirai's kingdom as well. Hers is smaller than Hangingake, but they're also rich of resources too. Her older brother is the current heir to her kingdom, but with Mirai becoming my wife one day, there will be a stronger alliance between Mirukan and her kingdom. I'm just glad that Mirai and I are hopelessly in love with each other."

  


"Well then," Ruki nodded, and raised his glass, "To the future of the world."

  


"To the future of the world," The four princes raised their glasses and made a toast, as they began to sip on their wines. They began their usual chatter in their usual semi-formal manner, chuckling and chatting.

  


In the meantime, Shin turned to Ruki with a concerned expression on his face. "Are you alright though, Ruki?"

  


Ruki placed his wine glass down. "Yeah? Why do you ask?"

  


"The questions those reporters asked about you and your… past," Shin continued. "I'm glad you were able to respond to them with your usual calmness and grace, just like the Crown Prince Ruki the world knows. Even then, I also find it shocking also."

  


Ruki sipped on his wine again. "It's in the past. If _she_ thinks she has a chance for me to choose her once more, then she needs to wake up."

  


Shosei nibbled on his cracker. "If you ask me, she— and her whole family— are traitors. She was the reason why Ruki and I decided to enroll in Mirukan Royal Academy those years ago instead of following the formal independent tutoring and education like our ancestors went through. And then she shows up at our second year as an arts student with that goldenrod yellow blazer on?"

  


"My," Shin gave a chuckle. "The term _traitor_ sounds rather too much. On the other hand, I cringe whenever she and her social-climbing parents kept referring to the Mirukan Empire's Royal Family as their relatives, even though they're Empress Maira's relatives."

  


Youta interrupted, clearing his throat. "I do hope that your reasons why the both of you are having personal grudges against Princess Aine of the Kingdom of Torino isn't because of political reasons. The Torino monarchs have been wanting to ally with Mirukan for years, but our mother did not trust them, so it was rejected."

  


"Our late mother, Empress Himawari, not the current empress that Youta and I now call _stepmother_ ," Shin clarified quickly. "I don't even call Empress Maira as _stepmother_ at all."

  


"I stay neutral about this, since I respect our father since birth," Youta sighed. "But that doesn't mean I won't heed to Shin's own suspicions."

  


"Suspicions?" Ruki asked curiously. "About Empress Maira?"

  


"I've been having sleepless nights as of late," Shin began. "I kept waking up to a calming voice telling me to protect one another from one of our own. Her words were so cryptic, I'm still trying to figure things out…"

  


"But with this stupid ball coming up right now," Shosei munched on his snacks while talking, "you won't have much time figuring out what that voice was telling you, Shin-niki."

  


The four continued on sipping on their wines, pondering of other things. At that time, Shosei showed worry for his brother once more. "Princess Aine… too bad, she's beautiful and quite refined. But she's not very faithful. You and her have gotten along really well back then, Aniki. Of all the girls we've come across, princesses, daughters of high nobility, whatever, I feel the closest to the Raira Sisters. At least they were real."

  


"Real," Ruki nodded, sighing. "They saved us so many times that I feel like we're not doing enough for them."

  


"What do you mean, Ruki?" Youta asked in curiosity. "We've done a lot for them and they don't even ask us any favors. The Rairas have got to be the most prideful bunch of individuals I've ever met— royalty, nobility, or anyone else. They even turned down their most sought-after spots to become detectives under Precinct #RC-15. They would've done really well under RC-15, but I'm not saying they won't be doing well in their parents' former Precinct too."

  


"I could've done more," Ruki sighed again. "I mean… especially with Mion."

  


"With Mion-chan, huh," Shin smirked, as he poured another glass of wine. "Mion may be blind, but I don't think she's that blind. You're always there for her, especially when the chips are down. The whole thing with Yundong Kim, remember?"

  


Ruki gave a slight frown. "Yeah. She always plays it cool but she's been head over heels over Yundong Kim for a long time now."

  


"She fell really depressed after she found out the truth about him," Shin continued. "Not even Era-chan, Yasupon, Keigo, or Lin were able to lift her spirits up."

  


"But you did, Ruki," Shosei added, smiling. "You knew exactly what she was going through that time, plus, you know, you're the higher-leveled reishou than her. You gave a lot just to cheer you up, you know? That says something."

  


Ruki still remained cool, as Shin continued. "You were seeing Princess Aine at that time. She invited you off-campus to have a date with her on that new fancy cafe that just opened a few blocks from the campus. But you didn't even go to meet her."

  


"Era called Kihara on the phone, transferred the call to me, when she got worried about Mion being missing," Ruki continued. "She called up her brothers but they were all busy with their group projects then. The sisters were supposed to work on their project then but Mion never showed up at their meeting place. I was on my way out to meet Princess Aine, but Era's phone call came first."

  


"You left a message on Aine's phone though, right?" Youta asked curiously.

  


"Not quite," Ruki said. "I had one of her friends leave her a message for me, since I don't know her phone number." The princes chortled.

  


"You never ask girls their phone number, Ruki," Shin snickered.

  


"Exactly," Ruki returned the snicker.

  


"And you never give them your phone number," Shin added.

  


"They never asked." Ruki shrugged. "If they don't ask, I don't give. That's all there is to it."

  


"So, when you showed up at Muyoudake Grove and found Mion sobbing at that intersection," Shosei joined in again, "what did Mion do when she saw you?"

  


Ruki gave a chortle. "She told me to get lost. She thought I was Keigo." Right then, he muttered softly to himself: _That was a very close call though…_

  


"What was that?" Shosei overheard his muttering, but couldn't form the words from his ears.

  


"Ah, nothing," Ruki shook his head.

  


"And then, what happened after that?" Shin asked curiously.

  


"She calmed down when I spoke to her, once she finally looked up and saw my face. It was like… she stopped thinking about her broken heart and just looked at me directly," Ruki continued. "I got her out of there and we ended up sitting at the lounge area near the dorm kitchen. I remembered, she had a ready-made bento box that she made from scratch that was supposed to be for Yundong. It was even stored at the heater oven, still fresh. I can even remember the scrumptious scent that was seeping from that box. Really made me hungry then. There was a letter that remained unopened next to the box-- her confession to Yundong. I asked her to talk to me about what happened, and she finally opened up."

  


"That bento box," Shosei sighed. "What a waste."

  


"Yeah," Ruki frowned. "She ended up giving the entire bento box to me after I told her the food smelled really good. I was really hungry at that time anyway."

  


"And how was the bento box, Ruki?" Shin smiled.

  


Ruki gave a bigger smile. "It was delicious. I've never had Mirukan Cuisine from the Border Region before. I guess when I told her how good it was and that Yundong missed out so much on a very good bento lunch— knock on wood— she smiled right after."

  


"See, you made her smile, Ruki," Shin grinned. "Just the simplest of things, like the cooking she worked hard on for the boy she's in love with. It's a good thing she ended up giving the box to you instead of her throwing it out, you know?"

  


"Yeah," Ruki smiled. "The bento box made me happy… like the happiest I've ever been. At that time too, she gave me the biggest smile she's ever had. It was also the first time I've seen her smile like that. Maybe she was still trying to hide her broken heart, but still. I ended up bugging Kihara to search all over Mirukan for any Border Region Mirukan Cuisine cookbooks so the palace chefs can serve me when I want to eat some Border Region Cuisine."

  


"Why didn't you ask Mion for the recipes instead, Ruki?" Shin asked curiously.

  


"Because Ruki is too shy, that's why," Youta snickered, with Ruki also showing another smirk on his face. "Generally, Ruki is never shy with princesses and noble ladies, never shy with servants, but he's shy when it comes to commoner girls outside the palace walls."

  


"I remembered that day," Shosei chuckled. "That was also the first time you gave your phone number to a girl— ever! Not even Princess Aine, Princess Mira, those noble girls, you just gave Kihara's phone number to them so he can pass on the call to you."

  


"Kihara?" Youta blinked. "Who's that again?"

  


"The Hangingake Royal Family Speaker's son," Shosei answered. "You guys don't remember Taichi Kihara? He's kind of like Ruki's personal butler-slash-secretary, but he was an HSS student while we were still in LEF."

  


"Ah, that Taichi Kihara! I think I remember him. Very loyal and a bit of a snob towards some commoners back then," Youta grinned.

  


Ruki sighed. "Yeah, he was a bit upper-lipped at anyone who isn't on the same level as us or the high nobility… until he met the Rairas during the first week of school. He got intimidated by Yasupon and the sisters when they refused to let us cut in front of the line when we were picking up our new locker combinations. Lin doesn't really care, Keigo was just too nice."

  


"Well, well, that really is a first, Ruki."

  


"Mion needed someone to talk to and I was the only one who showed up when she needed someone there. When it was getting dark, I gave her my phone number if she wanted to go on talking to me about Yundong and we went back to the dorm building together. Besides, Yasupon would kill all of us if he sees any one of his sisters coming inside the dorm building by themselves."

  


"That's Yasu for you," Shin chuckled.

  


"Somehow, I felt a lot more comfortable with her for the first time… like it was a different feeling, compared to the princesses and noble ladies I'm used to communicating with."

  


"And then," Shosei continued, "you and her were on the phone for several hours until sunrise. Luckily it was the weekend, so you had time to sleep in right after."

  


Ruki nodded. "We ended up talking about other things besides Yundong that night. There was one thing that kind of bothered me then…"

  


"Oh? What's that?" Youta continued with the questions.

  


"In relation to Yundong being all along dead, she mentioned about falling in love with someone alive has become impossible for her."

  


"After finding out that your ultimate school crush turned out to be dead, I'd probably say the same thing too," Shin frowned, crossing his arms.

  


"Not just that," Ruki continued. "She went on about how nice guys were always taken by the wrong girls and how unfair society is. Well, the latter part, I sort of agree. Then she showed her prejudice."

  


"Prejudice?" Youta asked curiously. "Towards who?"

  


"Towards royalty, you know, us."

  


"Does she?" Youta blinked in surprise. 

  


"She went on saying that nice guys in the commoner class were always taken fast and that at her level, there was no way she was going to go for high nobility or even royalty."

  


"No way? How?" Shin frowned. "There were twenty-two handsome young men in the entire LEF class, all eligible, all from good backgrounds and pedigrees. The Kawa-Kawa Crew were really popular, the RC-15 detectives today are also sought after by a lot of women today, and then there's… us."

  


"I see," Youta raised an eyebrow. "I think I know what Mion was trying to point out here."

  


Ruki nodded in agreement. "She was hinting that girls like her— or rather, girls from the commoner class, have no chance with any man from high nobility and even royalty. She's been having that prejudice for a very long time. I don't know if she still has that prejudice today. That was what bothered me and in a way, broke my heart a little."

  


"You should've told her the differences between her country's royalty— us, in other words— and the Hangingake Royalty— you, in other words," Shin suggested.

  


Ruki shook her head. "I decided not to tell her about the Hangingake Royalty because I want her to follow her chosen path and have her focus on that first. We all know how she and Era are. They know exactly what they want. I don't want to be in the way of her path to her personal success."

  


"Well, then," Shosei interrupted. "If Princess Aine shows up at the grand ball, which I'm sure she will, as a potential bride for one of us three, and then you spot Mion from the crowd, and when the emperor pops up the question, who will you choose?"

  


"Shosei, Mion's or Era's names are not in the candidates list," Shin chuckled.

  


"But unlike you Mirukan princes, us Hangingake princes are free to choose whichever girl we wish to marry. We can even marry some farmer's daughters or even our own servants if we want to! Right, Ruki?" Ruki only responded with a smile.

  


"We haven't seen the Rairas for about seven years now, and here we are, talking about them," Ruki sipped on his wine. "But I won't deny how much I miss them."

  


Moments later, Youta felt his smartphone in his pocket vibrating and reached for it.

  


He saw the envelope icon coming from the Director of LJB and quickly opened the message:

  


_34SN & RC-15 lunch @ Golden Corn - Downtown Kinshou_

  


After the message, a group photo of the detectives from both Precincts enjoying their lunch at the restaurant appeared. Youta almost broke into laughter at first, but instead, forwarded the photo to the rest of the princes. All of their phones sounded off and opened their phones to view the photo.

  


"Ah!" Shosei gasped happily. "The Rairas are here! I mean they're at Kinshou! They're actually there!"

  


"Lin looks like he lost weight," Shin made his first comment. "But they're all looking really good dressed up appropriately as true-blue detectives."

  


"Yasupon's hair is still red," Youta laughed. "Though, more burgundy than my red."

  


"Keigo looked more regal than before," Shin smiled. "He can pass on for being an actual prince!"

  


Shosei began to scratch his head. "What happened to Era-chan? She chopped off all her hair to her shoulders! I miss those little braided pigtails she always wore back at the academy days! She looked cuter back then!"

  


Ruki laughed along. "Don't be rude, Shosei. We haven't seen them for seven years, of course there will be some changes."

  


"I still like the braided pigtails! But Mion though," Shosei nudged his older brother. "She doesn't look as scary as she was back in the old school days. She looks… um…"

  


Ruki remained silent, but also smiled as he gazed at Mion's present photo. He even zoomed the photo and focused on her fingers wrapped around her glass of iced tea. No ring on her finger, no fancy jewelry anywhere except for a pair of earrings. Placing the tip of his finger onto her empty fingers, he began to imagine seeing a ring on her finger one day.

  


"Ruki," Shin interrupted his brief bliss period. "I see you're focused on your fellow reishou girl right now."

  


Ruki hushed. "I'm just happy… I mean I haven't seen her for seven years and… I mean, how would you feel knowing that you're finally going to see your closest friends after losing touch with them for seven years?"

  


"Ruki, what are you going to do at the grand ball?" Youta asked curiously. "You do know that among the three of you to be engaged to your chosen future bride at the ball, you're the main focus. What would you do when the emperor pops the question on which one of those candidates you'll be choosing as your bride?"

  


Shin nodded in agreement. "Princess Mira and even her younger sister are already betting for sure that you'll be choosing one of them."

  


Ruki relaxed against his seat as he sipped on his wine, then smirked. "Let us hope the Shouran Rebels crash the ball and kidnap us before that happens."

  


"Maybe Mion can sneak in at the candidates pool and then you spot her and then choose her instead?" Shosei excitedly suggested.

  


"No," Ruki shook his head. "I'm not doing that."

  


"Eh? But…"

  


"We all know the sisters and I'm sure Mion hasn't changed," Ruki continued. "Remember the old Kabedon Game that we used to play sometimes with some of the girls in school? Shunya Osawa did that with her and… well… you know what happened."

  


"Also with Era-chan when Shuta Urano did the same with her," Youta chuckled along. "The cheek-slapping sound really echoed throughout the area, it made everyone turn around and spotted that nasty red hand mark on his cheek."

  


Shin chortled. "Poor Osawa's nose!"

  


"Poor Urano's hand-printed cheek!" Youta added. The princes broke into laughter, with Shosei nodding.

  


"Yeah, I remember. And then, there were other scenes too where the Raira Sisters got into a fight with Princess Mira's friends from her original kingdom too. When was that again?" Shosei pondered.

  


Youta lowered his head, placing his hand on his forehead. "It was during Shin's birthday gala. Apparently, Mira told lies to her friends about the sisters because she felt that the sisters were stealing her spotlight right after the LEF won the annual Odyssey Challenge Bowl. They started gossiping in the ladies' restroom, but unfortunately for them, both Mion and Era were already in the restroom and overheard everything. Well, you know what happened after that."

  


Shin nodded. "All seven of them got into trouble, though the Raira Sisters did all they can to apologize and even offered to clean up the mess around the garden."

  


"You refused to let the sisters clean up for the mess though," Ruki added. "I mean, you sympathized with the Raira Girls more than your own stepsister's friends."

  


"I've never even met Mira's friends outside Mirukan ever," Shin rolled his eyes. "Why should I have sympathy for strangers?"

  


Ruki nodded in agreement. "Yes, you have a point there, Shin."

  


"The sisters still insisted on cleaning the mess up," Youta continued. "I have to say the Rairas have a very high level of pride."

  


"Those so-called 'friends' even refused to help them, since they started the mess in the first place too," Shosei crossed his arms.

  


"So we ended up helping them," Ruki continued on.

  


"The princesses and the high noble ladies felt offended because _crown princes shouldn't do all the dirty work for the poor_ ," Shosei chuckled, imitating the girls with the latter statement.

  


"But it was fun doing things we don't normally do anyway," Ruki grinned.

  


"And we all lived happily ever after," Shin laughed. "Best birthday party ever."

  


"Ever since then, no guy ever dared come near those sisters ever again! Even after that incident, no stuck-up princess or high-noble lady ever dared to try to bully the sisters ever again," Shosei went on. "I mean, it's easy to mess around with Princess Mira and Lady Sanae then, but I'm scared when it comes to the Raira Sisters!"

  


"Takes after their brothers," Youta smirked. "Funny how I say that, considering none of them are blood-related to each other."

  


"If you think they were scary back then," Shin laughed, "imagine how they are now as detectives."

  


The princes fell silent, still grinning while pondering about their old friends. After they let the wine slip down their throats, Shin continued on. "Do you all think no guy has ever really dared approaching those sisters back then? Not even in university days?"

  


"We didn't really hang out as we used to back in university, since we all ended up in different branches within the Law Enforcement major," Shosei pouted. "Not even the rest of the boys even kept in touch with us!" Ruki shook his head along with his brothers. All four led out a sigh.

  


"Well," Ruki stood up from his seat, reaching for a small bunch of grapes. "Shall we head to Kinshou tomorrow?"

  


"Ruki, rushing already?" Shin laughed. "Can't Youta and I enjoy the rest of our vacation days here at your kingdom first? It's not like the Rairas are going back home to Yamabe tomorrow or something."

  


"Youta-niki," Shosei called, "where are the Rairas staying, by the way? I don't mean hotel but where are they actually going to work? Are they working at RC-15?"

  


Youta shook his head. "No, this is a covert cold case. The public mustn't know about all this. Therefore, I already established a very good place for them to work and sleep."

  


"Already?" Shin chuckled. "You're really fast, Youta-niki."

  


"Fumi and I codenamed their new quarters as 34SN-B. They'll get familiar with the place very quick."

  


Ruki smirked, crossing his arms. "Why do I get the feeling the Rairas are going to be cursing about that and end up calling you insane?"

  


"Because," Youta placed his hands in his pockets, relaxing against his seat. "I am."

  


The three princes returned the smirks, as they continued to enjoy their snacks and wine. After a few moments of silence and reactions, Youta broke the silence once more.

  


"I think you've done a lot for Mion back then, Ruki," Youta asserted. "Remember that one time when we spent at my private residence during spring break when the avalanche happened and some of us won't be able to travel back home?"

  


Ruki turned his head towards the redheaded prince. "What about it?"

  


"While the girls were in one room just doing their girl thing, us guys were in the ballroom just talking about random things?"

  


Ruki found himself chuckling. "We were teens back then. We talked about a lot of dumb things then."

  


"Lin, Yasupon, and Keigo made us promise one thing that night."

  


"Mm," Ruki nodded. "Of course I remember. Everyone remembers that. Since we always talked about how we, the students of LEF, were the minority of Mirukan Royal Academy then, and how we should always take care of one another, this was a huge favor from the brothers."

  


"Of all thirty of us," Shin joined in, "only five were girls. Princess Mirai, Princess Mira, Lady Sanae, and the Raira Sisters. Princess Mirai and Youta are already together officially. Princess Mira and Lady Sanae can't make up their minds that they flirt with every single one of us."

  


Ruki and Shosei chuckled, with Shosei adding: "They even involved Prince Ryuta too, even if he isn't a candidate for emperor."

  


"I envied Prince Ryuta as a prince," Ruki added. "He didn't have to go through all this emperor's candidate mess. His kingdom has its own problems and he knows his own priorities too."

  


"People will say that royalty doesn't have to mingle with any one of the lower nobility or most of all, the common class," Shin indicated. "But if you think about it, among the 30 of us, only Princess Mira and Lady Sanae have no idea that some of us ended up being reishou."

  


"You mean," Youta corrected, "among the four crown princes as candidates for the emperor's seat, two of them are reishou." Shin nodded to confirm.

  


"And let's keep it that way," Ruki spoke in a stern tone. "Sure, we should be sticking and watching over each other as thirty, but when it comes to matters with the reishou, I don't trust any of those two girls." He munched on his cracker, then continued. "This is why Shin and I, as the two reishou of the royalty, were always hanging around, almost to the point of stalking the Raira Sisters, because we're all reishou. We don't know which one of the students in that school are sympathetic to the reishou or discriminating against the reishou."

  


Youta cleared his throat and faced the other three princes. "We don't have any other choice but to go through this. I'm personally sympathetic with the Shouran Rebels and yet I feel bad using them as the kidnappers just to get the three of you out of the palace walls."

  


"We'll be okay. The Shouran Rebels will be okay," Shin assured. "Yes, I know, it'll be another bad rep to be added to the rebels, but they're very loyal to their causes. Plus, some of our old friends back at the LEF…"

  


"I know," Youta nodded. "Please send them my regards."

  


"While we're out there," Ruki stood up, placing his empty glass onto the table, "we'll be… behind the scenes… to be sure that you and Princess Mirai will take the emperor's seat with no strings attached."

  


Youta sighed. "I'm worried about our father's well-being. Well, before that happens, I hope I'll be able to… _get closer_ … to my father, more than ever."

* * *

  


### FLAME ROCK ESTATE (Precinct #34SN-B) - CHOU-KINSHOU, MIRUKAN (Present - 1.5 hours later)

  


"Why does this area look familiar?" Kosuke tapped his fingers on his chin as the car they were being escorted on drove inside the open iron gates to a small roadway leading up towards a large-scale palace up in the hilly peaks of the Kinshou Range.

  


Shunya Osawa, one of the high-profiled detectives from RC-15 and one of their LEF classmates from their school days, was the driver of their black-tinted seven-seater SUV. He quickly answered as he focused his direction forward. "You should be familiar about this place. We've been here before."

  


"Looks like this is leading to one of the crown prince's personal residences," Lin gazed around the pine forest surroundings. Truly, he thought, they were heading to one of Mirukan's famous hidden residents owned by the Mirukan Royal Family. "What did the sign say at the iron gate earlier?"

  


"I think it said _Flame Rock Estate_ ," Keigo rubbed his chin. "Hmm… even the estate name sounded familiar."

  


Mion rolled his eyes and sighed. "That's because it's Crown Prince Youta's personal residence, remember? The crown princes stayed here when we're on our two-week spring break back in school and we all had to leave the dorms during that time."

  


"Ah, oh yeah," Keigo snapped his fingers. "You're right, Shunya! We've been here before!"

  


"Yep," Shunya nodded. "There was an avalanche on the highways leading towards the Border Region and other places outside the Royal Capital, so none of us couldn't go home. Remember that?" The Rairas nodded.

  


"We had a lot of fun memories staying at this place back then," Era smiled. "In a way, it was a bit awkward too."

  


"Awkward? The heck happened then?" Shunya blinked in curiosity. "I mean eventually we all ended up there anyway except for Princess Mira and Lady Sanae, but what really happened then?"

  


"It's a huge-ass place that we all get lost easily," Kosuke added, "so none of us were assigned a room by ourselves. We had to have someone with us."

  


"There were I think sixteen of us then?" Mion began to recall. "The four crown princes, Prince Ryuta, Princess Mirai, us Rairas, the SixPacks, and the two Kawas."

  


"Because of the avalanche, none of us were able to be able to travel back home," Era began to recall as well. "So Youta-senpai invited us to stay at his permanent residence. When the other three crown princes heard about it, they canceled their Hangingake plans and decided to stay here. Princess Mirai and Prince Ryuta didn't want to miss all the fun so they stayed also. Then word spread out and everyone else canceled their family visits and all joined in anyway."

  


"With the exception of Princess Mira and Lady Sanae," Keigo snickered, "they both had to go on some fancy family vacation outside the empire so their parents wouldn't let them stay with us anyway. Thank goodness."

  


"I'm really grateful to them for letting us stay for the entire two weeks," Era smiled.

  


"Well," Keigo chuckled, "it was also the time too when you sisters started to get a little awkward around the princes. Well, not Youta and Prince Ryuta, but the other three."

  


"Oh. Right." The sisters fell silent, then in turn, began to blush.

  


"Ugh, that was so embarrassing!" Mion gritted her teeth. "That was super embarrassing!"

  


"What? What happened? Ugh, tell me guys!"

  


Kosuke shook his head with a grin and turned to his siblings. "Should we tell him?"

  


"No, Aniki, that's just way too embarrassing! I mean, we're talking about Shunya Osawa here!" Mion continued to glare.

  


"Oi, I may be a clown back in the school days, but I've completely changed!" Shunya argued again. "I hope you changed a bit too, Mion-chan. I mean, you did do some nasty piece of work on my nose back then."

  


"I hate dudes who think they can _kabedon_ any girl they want," Mion glared right towards the driver. "I don't care if it was part of a dare or whatever, I think dudes who _kabedon_ have ego issues!"

  


The brothers began to chortle, with Keigo shaking his head. "You'd just smack them if they tried to _kabedon_ to each other, but that didn't happen when one particular boy back then did the same to you and you fainted instead."

  


"What? No one _kabedoned_ me after Shunya, Keigo," Mion continued to argue. "Even Yundong Kim has never done that!"

  


"Yundong Kim?" Keigo chortled. "I'm talking about one particular boy you don't even want to mention his name, but you're gonna have to."

  


Mion fell silent, with Keigo smiling and turning his head. "We'll share the tidbit when we get to our new quarters, Shunya."

  


"Yay! Story time!" Shunya laughed, as he can spot the main driveway leading to the main entrance of the palace. "Welp, here we are! Precinct #34SN-B!"

  


There were two SUVs who arrived at the entrance driveway. The Flame Rock Estate, fully staffed with the specifically assigned help to serve the owner and master of the lavish palatial-like mansion, Crown Prince Youta, were immediately welcomed by the heads of the household. They began to assist the visitors with their luggages, as the detectives carried their own hand carries.

  


The detectives of RC-15 who came with the Rairas and receptionist Syoya are the following: Shunya Osawa, Junki Kono, Jun Uehara, Shuta Urano, and Tatsutoshi Miyazato. Syoya joined the second SUV with the other RC-15 detectives. They were greeted by the head of household and Youta's personal butler, who only goes by his family name, Kubota. Seven years ago, the 34SN and RC-15 detectives already met Kubota as his master Crown Prince Youta's classmates from the Mirukan Royal Academy. Kubota still remembered their faces, even though they looked a bit more matured than those years ago.

  


"His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Youta, made sure that we have properly converted many of the residence's chambers into your desired place of work. Goodness, all of you truly have grown," Kubota greeted them. "Upon entry at the hallway, you will come across a table with sets of keys and other things with your names on them. We also have other visitors at the gathering chamber, waiting for your arrival."

  


The detectives bowed at Kubota, as he returned the bowing. Junki spoke first: "Visitors? Who?"

  


"You will see them once you entered the chambers, Detective Kono. Right now, please gather your sets at the table and all the information are also printed in a booklet, which includes the rooms you will be staying, the map of the residential palace and the valley town of Chou-Kinshou, the cars that you will be driving, and everything else."

  


"Holy shit, we get to have our own cars?" Keigo gasped excitedly, with Detective Tatsutoshi Miyazato grinning along with him.

  


"I hope I get a sleek sports car colored bright rouge," Tatsutoshi grinned, as he and Keigo exchanged hi-fives.

  


"Right," Kosuke cleared his throat. "Maps, cars, rooms, designated smartphones, got it. Where's the gathering chamber again?"

  


"Past the table, then turn to your right. You will come across two rouge wooden doors, and that is where you will find your guests."

  


As the servants escorted the detectives to the table, in which they start to gather their own sets, they were lead right at the gathering chamber doors. By the time the doors were opened and announced of the detectives' arrivals, the Rairas found themselves overwhelmed with very familiar faces among the guests waiting.

  


Their old friends from LEF welcomed them with open arms. The gathering was more of a reunion for an important cause than meeting new parties involved in this huge caper. Also to a surprise, two of the Shouran Rebels' commanders, were also present, dressed in their semi-formal suits as if they worked for the upper level of the government.

  


"So," Kosuke snickered, facing his old friend and sometimes rival from school, Sho Yonashiro. "Two of the high commanders of the Shouran Rebellion are here at Youta's crib."

  


"We miss you too, Yasupon Raira," Sho snickered. The two friends embraced, with Tomoaki Ando, the other co-commander of the Shouran Rebels, joined in. "We have a lot of things to talk about."

  


"Is there anyone else who are coming?" Lin asked curiously, after he exchanged his greetings to his old friends.

  


"The RC-15 inspector captain and the LJB director will be arriving also," Ren Kawashiri, now one of Mirukan's top lawyers and a partner of the famed law office, the Kawa-Kawa Law Office, answered. "They're in an important meeting together."

  


"What are you guys doing here?" Mion pointed at both Ren and his fellow partner, Takumi Kawashiri. "We were told you guys were busy in a middle of a civil case?"

  


"It ended today," the princely- like Takumi smiled. "And it's a good thing too that our client decided to drop the charges after some interesting circumstances occurred the day before today." 

  


"Well, that's good," Keigo nodded. "What's the case about?"

  


"Divorce and fraud," Ren sighed. "Turns out our client's husband was framed by the client's brother, who caused all this mess and wanted the inheritance himself… ah, it's a messy case."

  


"As long as it's already taken care of, another case closed for you guys," Mion smiled.

  


"Yeah, good thing," Takumi grinned. "We've got other smaller cases, but we've assigned them to our deputy team. Therefore, Ren and I can concentrate on this crazy plot we're about to get into on the day of the grand ball."

  


Kosuke overheard their conversation and shook his head. "Youta is getting all of us killed with this crazy scheme."

  


"But the sacrifice we're all making is very well worth it," Ren stood by his choice. "Mirukan and its neighboring kingdoms are counting on this plot. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Youta is already set. It's the three other princes that we all want to avoid from getting engaged."

  


Takumi joined in. "Remember the LEF-30 Pact that we made those seven years ago— we stand together, we fall together. If we all fail, His Highness Crown Prince Youta will also fail."

  


"So," Era broke her silence, "so, us 34SN and RC-15 detectives here will be doing the investigating of Yundong Kim's case. What about you guys? Why is the Kawa-Kawa Law Office involved?"

  


"Collateral," Ren answered confidently. "In which any one of you guys get caught and arrested for treason and espionage, you're going to need Takumi and I to defend you during your trials. Other than that, we've got plenty of connections through our large pool of clients for any information gathering you guys need."

  


"Well," Takumi cleared his throat, "unless if those informants you want to reach out are dead, that's when the reishou tantei make their play."

  


Keigo interrupted, overhearing the conversation. "In case y'all don't remember, us Rairas are Central Class and General Class reishou. We can't raise up ascended ghosts just to gather info."

  


"Which is why you'll be gaining three more detectives under the 34SN wing," Junki joined in, nibbling on his cracker. "Didn't your inspector captain inform you guys that you'll be getting three more in your team?"

  


"He did," Lin murmured, nibbling on his cracker. "He hasn't told us who these new detectives are, but from the sounds of it, two of them are reishou tantei."

  


"Sorry," Kosuke sighed. "I'm just following orders from His Royal Highness Crown Prince Youta. I'm not supposed to reveal their names until they show up the day after the grand ball."

  


"But can you at least tell us their surnames, at least?" Keigo batted his eyelashes with a smile on his face.

  


Kosuke glared at his younger brother. "I'll just tell you their first-letter initials: Y, S, and O."

  


"What? That's hard!" Keigo frowned. "How about the last letters of their surnames?"

  


"O, A, A."

  


"Oh… um, so that can be… Y and O can stand for Yonashiro… uhh…"

  


"Keigo, I'm right here," Sho smirked, crossing his arms.

  


"Oh… so… not you," Keigo began to ponder about the clues. Right then, the doors opened and Kubota stepped forward.

  


"The Director of LEF and the Precinct #RC-15 inspector captain has arrived."

  


Those who were sitting down stood up, as they see both Fumiya Sano and Kazuki Tanabe, another old classmate of theirs, enter the gathering chamber. Once Kubota leaves, the doors were closed. They exchanged their greetings and bowed to one another. Everyone took their seats, as Kazuki began counting the congregation to be sure that everyone is present.

  


"Alright, we're all here," Kazuki grinned, as he presented Sano as the head of this meeting.

  


"Detectives from RC-15 and 34SN, welcome to Precinct #34SN-B, also known as the Flame Rock Estate," Sano began the meeting. "This is still His Royal Highness Crown Prince Youta's private residence, however, he is also lending this residence to all of us as our designated workplace for the variety of cold cases we will be working on together. In particular, the unsolved murder case of the unidentified student found dead at the library old archives basement floor at Mirukan Royal Academy. Originally, we were supposed to meet here the day before the Royal Princes' Grand Ball, but because of new developments of the academy planning on tearing down the library as soon as we thought, we decided to move everything earlier than the original schedule.

  


"You should have gotten all your folders and individual kits including your keys, smartphones, even your weapons such as your pocket pistols. For the reishou tantei, your kits will be available in your rooms. Before I continue, any questions so far?"

  


Kosuke immediately raised his hand, but instead Sano interrupted. "Besides Inspector Captain Raira, do you have any questions?" The redheaded inspector captain lowered his hand while glaring at the director. "Right, continuing."

  


Sano turned to his laptop already attached to a projector machine and began his PowerPoint presentation, going through this entire caper they are about to get involved with. "I present to you— _Operation Sankiran_ …"

  


Kosuke interrupted immediately. " _Sankinran_? 'Three Gold Eggs'? Are you serious? That's got to be the dumbest codename I've ever heard."

  


Sano crossed his arms, smirking. "Tell that to His Highness Crown Prince Youta, Yasupon."

  


"Are you sure you didn't name that yourself, Sano?"

  


"Inspector Captain Raira," Sano remained collected in his usual director self, "will you let me continue before I end up kicking your ass right here, right now?"

  


"Ehem," Junki cleared his throat. "Can we continue on with the presentation, please? Jeez, some of you all never really changed."

  


"Look who's talking," Shunya snickered, with Junki glaring at him in return.

  


Sano cleared his throat and continued. "This operation may take months, even years, to complete, which is why we need a lot of the most important hands in order for this operation to succeed. The objective of _Sankinran_ is simple: to progress and move forward to a brand-new, more independent Mirukan."

  


"The empire or the country?" Kosuke immediately interrupted.

  


"Inspector Captain Raira, will you let me finish?" Kosuke made a zipped lip signal on his lips, as Sano continued. "Personally, I prefer the empire to break apart and have all the conquered kingdoms rule on their own instead of relying on our own nation of Mirukan to feed them with everything we have. While the conquered kingdoms are getting richer, Mirukan itself is getting poorer. But I don't really know what the Crown Prince's agenda really is. He may want to keep the empire and go on conquering more. Anyway, again, proceeding."

  


Sano pointed to the folders that were distributed to each person in the meeting, and opened it. There were many documents separated in packets, as Sano went on with the presentation.

  


" _Sankinran_ is divided into different phases. The first part sounds simple, but also very difficult. It will begin on the day of the Crown Prince's Grand Ball. The Shouran Rebels, lead by Yonashiro and Ando here, will crash the ball, cause some scenes that will make the guests panic and the guards run around like headless chickens, and at that time, the princes will make their escape from the palace. This escape, somehow, we'll make it look like it was a kidnapping plot. If the first phase succeeds, we can move on to the second phase."

  


"And if this so-called kidnapping plot doesn't work, what's next?" Kosuke asked curiously with his arms crossed. "I'm sorry for interrupting, but I'm not quite sold with this entire operation just yet."

  


Sano sighed, and finally answered. "We've got backup plans if this first plan doesn't work. The main goal of the first phase is to get Crown Prince Shin, Crown Prince Ruki, and Crown Prince Shosei out of the palace, one way or the other. It's obvious that the emperor, empress, and even the Hangingake Royal Family will not let the princes out of the palace walls because of this regardless of how they try to talk the elder royalty out of it. Attempting to kidnap them by the Shouran Rebels is the most possible way for the princes to leave."

  


Kosuke turned his head towards Sho and Tomoaki. "You guys actually agreed with this whole fiasco?"

  


"Yasupon," Sho answered, "the Shouran Rebels aren't the only ones who's sick and tired of this current regime. We've got allies and spies within the Mirukan palace walls. Don't worry about us. We'll get the princes out of the palace as quickly and safely as possible. Just don't worry about us, Yasupon, you guys play a bigger role than we do here."

  


"Alright, fine." Kosuke sighed and turned to Sano. "Sorry to interrupt. Please continue."

  


Sano nodded and proceeded along. "Once we get the three princes out, we will proceed to Phase 2. The second phase will involve two open cases: the kidnapping case and of course, the unnamed student cold case that the 34SN detectives will be working on. The kidnapping of the princes case will cause a lot of sensation throughout the public and the media, and it will be all over the headlines throughout the world. The RC-15 detectives will handle the kidnapping case, and with under supervision of Inspector Captain Tanabe, they'll do whatever they can to prolong the case, as long as the princes are out of the Royal Capital vicinity."

  


"Where are they going to hide? The princes, I mean?" Lin asked from his usual silence.

  


"Here, at this private residence, where we're staying right now." Lin began to scratch his head, with Mion also scratching the side of her forehead with her finger.

  


"So, while we're working on the 'unnamed student' cold case, the princes are gonna be staying here with us?" Mion blinked curiously. "I don't know, that seems… distracting."

  


"You mean awkward, Mion-chan," Shuta Urano, one of the RC-15 detectives and also one of their fellow LEF classmates, grinned. "How long have you and Crown Prince Ruki have lost touch with each other?"

  


"Yo!" Mion shouted. "Stop changing the subject, Urano! We're talking about this operation three eggs thing right now!"

  


Shuta gulped, smiling shyly. "Well, just wondering, you know?"

  


"They'll be safe here," Sano assured. "The emperor and empress know that Crown Prince Youta has his own private residence. After all, it was built and developed using his own inheritance from the late Empress Himawari after all. But they have no knowledge of where this private residence is located. If you can recall our two-week stay here back in our school days, the emperor and empress never visited this place. They still haven't visited this place even when the house is unoccupied. The Crown Princes also have their own loyal staff and loyal guardian forces on the lookout for any uninvited guests, so you should all be fine."

  


"Okay. Please continue."

  


Sano continued on. "While the entire world focuses on the kidnapping case, the 34SN detectives, along with the three new detectives to be added to their roster, will focus on the 'unnamed student' case. Because Crown Prince Youta wants your investigation to be completely covert, no media or anyone uninvolved from the public will ask about what you're actually doing in the Mirukan Royal Academy campus grounds. The academy staff will assume that you're there to inspect the library area to be sure it's safe before they tear it down and build a new library building. That's all there is to it."

  


"So, in short," Keigo interrupted, "we're gonna be pretending to be ground construction inspectors before they have the contractors tear down the building, right?"

  


"Partially, yes. But you will also partially aid the staff to clear all of their things, furniture, etc. out of the building and transfer them to their storage units nearby."

  


"Not very appealing to me," Keigo frowned.

  


"Better than being jobless, Detective Keigo Raira. Better I get your Precinct involved in this than getting your Precinct shut down due to inactivity. You'll thank me for this when this is all over," Sano answered, with Keigo sighing at the end.

  


"We'll be able to thank you if we all get out of this mess alive," Kosuke crossed his arms.

  


Sano only replied with a glare at his old friend, then proceeded on with the presentation. "Because the library building is one of the original buildings still remaining in the campus since its foundation, not to mention that it's also one of the most priced, treasured structures in our country for centuries and centuries, there will be a lot of secrets and mysteries within that building that is still yet uncovered by generations today. Hundreds and hundreds of ancient scrolls and artifacts are stored in the deeper basement levels other than the old archives floor, where Yundong's lifeless body was found."

  


"You mean there are more basement floors underneath the old archives basement?" Keigo gasped in surprise. "How come this is the first time we've heard of this?"

  


"Apparently, while the staff was surveying the old archives floor," Sano answered, "they found a secret doorway on the floor at the deepest corner where the shelves were covering it. There was a very sophisticated lock and none of them has the key to it or even has the combination to unlock it. Because of that, the head librarian got permission from the academy's current chancellor to contact RC-15 to have it investigated. Inspector Captain Tanabe here contacted me right away for permission and consent to investigate. That was why he and I met up earlier today."

  


_So, that's why they arrived late today…_ Kosuke's voice spoke to his head.

  


"After the meeting, we took a brief stop at the academy's library to find their discovery. Sure enough, we found the trapdoor and the lock. We even took pictures of it too." Sano changed the slides on the projector to show the photos they took earlier today.

  


"That lock looks really old," Jun Uehara, one of the RC-15 detectives, quickly observed the photo. "I've read in some of the non-fiction books I read before about Mirukan's ancient locksmith culture. Back in the ancient times, our country was also known for its talented locksmiths. They make some of the most complex, complicated, and intricate locks the world has ever seen. We have to be there to see it and determine how old that lock is and who made it. Unfortunately, no one makes locks like these anymore because of the advanced technology."

  


Sano nodded in agreement. "Good observation, Detective Uehara. I contacted the Mirukan Historical Society main headquarters and see if they can send in some historians and archaeologists to examine that lock. I'm still waiting for them to return my call and see if they can find anyone who's an expert with Mirukanian ancient locksmiths' technology then. But, in the meantime, 34SN Team, you will begin your assignment later today."

  


The Rairas gasped happily, as Sano hushed them again. "As of this time, the police have sealed and taped off the library area for inspections and it will remain there for two weeks."

  


"So, we're meeting the three new detectives who will be part of our roster then?" Lin asked curiously.

  


Sano shook his head. "Not yet. As before, the three new detectives will join you the day after the grand ball."

  


"Still?" Era frowned. "What's the delay? Why can't we meet them now?"

  


"They are still going through the transition process with their current work," Sano answered quickly. "You all seem very eager to meet your three new colleagues then."

  


"I still don't like the idea of having a third member of our forensics team," Lin voiced out his concerns. "I mean Era and I are enough, but if you think he'll be a good asset, then so be it."

  


"Yasu-niki still haven't mentioned to us their names either," Keigo expressed his concern. "I mean why not tell us now, Yasu-niki?"

  


"Just following orders, Keigo," Kosuke crossed his legs.

  


"Right," Sano cleared his throat, and continued on. "So, 34SN Team, we scheduled with the library staff that you will be arriving for building inspection this afternoon, around 3 p.m. When I receive the phone call back from the Mirukan Historical Society HQ, I'll let you know immediately. Other than that, just review over the folders you received for more information." He paused and turned to the RC-15 detectives.

  


"As for the rest of you, please review your roles included in the folders you received. You can contact myself or Inspector Captain Tanabe for more information. Your assigned vehicles are located at the main garage. Just look for Kubota for assistance. Everyone understood?"

  


"Okay, so," Kosuke interrupted again, raising his hand. "After Phase 2, what's Phase 3?"

  


"Phase 3 will be discussed at a later time. We need to have Phase 2 completed first."

  


"Wouldn't that mean we have to solve both cases at the same time?" Mion asked.

  


"Not necessarily, Mion-chan," Sano answered. "The kidnapping case will be what the world will focus, but the unnamed student cold case must be solved before we move on to Phase 3. Any other questions?"

* * *

  


### MIRUKAN ROYAL ACADEMY (Present)

  


As scheduled, the 34SN Detectives arrived at their old alma mater's campus. With enthusiasm, the Rairas brought their receptionist Syoya along with them as a tourist. Syoya would have attended Mirukan Royal Academy himself because of his family's original background, but because some close family members have broken ties with Mirukan's elite and have associate themselves with the Shouran Rebels, Syoya's former noble parents opted to enroll Syoya as an HSS student at the Mirukan Integrated Academy for scholarship and low-income students. For a former noble, this was the first time he stepped into one of the world's top schools.

  


Syoya joined a tourist group and have split himself from the detectives, making sure they still make contact with each other and leave his phone turned on. Still remembering their way around, regardless of the new buildings already constructed since their graduation some five years ago, they made their way towards the library. Aside from the new school buildings, nothing much changed. The color-coded school uniforms, blazers and all, still remained the sam as their old school uniforms seven years ago.

  


School was still in session when they arrived, and because of that, the faculty have advised the detectives to wait for about thirty minutes until all students have returned to their dorms and away from the main campus area. The detectives ended up sitting at one of the patio tables between the library and the now-expanded two-story cafeteria. At that same area, there were some vendors putting up booths, as some rolled out racks of formal dresses and suits to be sold or borrowed.

  


"Some things have changed," Kosuke smiled. "Remember how we had the annual ball then? We had to borrow formal clothes from our classmates? Man, that was kind of embarrassing."

  


"But at least, everyone… well, _almost_ everyone, were willing to help us out with the formal clothes. We still had a lot of fun," Keigo reminded.

  


"Yeah. We had a blast," Kosuke nodded, as the three brothers gave each other hi-fives.

  


Meanwhile, Era spotted a handsome student dragging a demure-looking girl wearing glasses with him. Both were wearing black blazers, meaning both were also LEF students. At the same time, she overheard the two students conversing, with the reluctant girl pulling herself away from the boy.

  


"Lady Momoka and Lady Ayano were just there!" The girl exclaimed. "Why don't you pick them? They both like you a lot!"

  


"You're perfect, Karen-chan, trust me," the cheeky boy grinned. "There's this dress that I really would like to give my sister for her birthday and you're about the same size as her. It'll be quick, I promise!"

  


"Komatsu-kun, are you serious? Come on, let go!" As the two students passed them by, Era giggled and then nudged her sister, who was busy reading an eBook on her smartphone.

  


"Neechan," Era grinned. "Remember that time when the princes dragged us out to go shopping for some formal dresses for one of their cousin's birthdays or something?"

  


Mion placed her phone down and turned to her sister. "That was embarrassing. I wanted to see Yundong that day to talk to him after what happened, but then the princes got to us first."

  


"Ah!" Keigo joined in, snapping his fingers. "Was that the day when Shin, Ruki, and Shosei came up to us one time and asked us if they can _borrow_ the sisters for that night, Yasu-niki?"

  


Kosuke shook his head, chuckling. "Was that what it was about? The princes dragged you to go shopping with them for some prom dresses?"

  


Lin looked up from his phone and turned to his brothers. "I don't remember this. When did this happen?"

  


Kosuke and Keigo both shook their heads. "Never mind, Aniki," Kosuke sighed. "Not like you pay attention to anyone back then because you were so busy with your gaming and computers and crap." Lin shrugged and went back to his mobile game again.

  


"Apparently for all royalty around the world," Keigo began, "they have a tradition in which if the princes have dates, namely princesses or high noble ladies, they have to go shopping for the perfect prom dress for their dates. Like how on earth would they succeed in that if they don't know the actual sizes of their dates?"

  


"Where'd you get that info from, Keigo?" Kosuke asked curiously. Keigo sighed deeply.

  


"You guys seriously need to research on different cultures around the world. Of course I read about it." Keigo cleared his throat and continued. "And because they don't know the actual sizes, as long as they can picture the estimates of their dates' personal sizes, they'd bring girls who are nearly the same size as them and go shopping with them."

  


"The princes have a lot of friends," Keigo continued. "A lot of female friends, all princesses and daughters of the upper echelon. The thing is, they're not really that close, and so, rather than asking some random girls out from this school--"

  


"They picked Era and me instead," Mion lowered her tone, rolling her eyes at the same time. "Ugh, those princes just won't leave us alone, won't they?"

  


"Junki once warned us to stay away from them, but the princes themselves kept getting themselves closer to us instead." Era shook her head, then smiled at one time. "But you know, we still had a lot of fun. We were able to get to try different types of dresses and the princes got to choose based on how we wear them, right? Thing is, prom dresses are usually worn once. You don't get to wear them again at another occasion, usually."

  


"Not like we're able to afford those dresses in the first place," Mion continued. "Even though it was annoying, the princes were really sweet."

  


"Mmhmm," Era giggled, "especially Crown Prince Ruki. He was very sincere with us. Shin was just being sweet too. Shosei was— I dunno."

  


Keigo laughed. "'You dunno'? The heck does that mean Era?"

  


"Well, whatever," Mion shook her head. "I hope their dates enjoyed the dresses they picked then… based on how we wore them."

  


"According to the princes the day right after," Keigo continued, "their dates enjoyed the dresses, but there was a problem."

  


"Yeah? What's that?" Mion asked.

  


"The princes actually thought the dresses they picked based on how you guys wore them actually didn't look good on them."

  


"Oh. That's too bad," Mion frowned. "I really liked that one white dress that Ruki picked for Princess Aine. I wanted one for myself, but the price tag is worth more than my life."

  


"I guess you can say," Keigo grinned, "Ruki also liked that white dress a lot, mainly because it really looked good on you. Too bad it didn't look good on Princess Aine, according to him."

  


Just then, Kosuke's phone sounded, which startled the group. He reached for his pocket and answered his phone. "Inspector Captain Raira here…" He paused to listen, then nodded. "Alright, thank you." He hung up the phone and turned to his team. "Library area's clear. The head librarian's waiting for us there."

  


The detectives stood from their patio table and then approached the library entrance. There were still some people around, but there was no longer anyone within the yellow tape that surrounded the library building and the grounds by the RC-15 police officers earlier today as Sano stated. They met with a late middle-aged woman who identified herself as the chief librarian. Though the Rairas have not seen her or remember her, the chief librarian became familiar with their names.

  


"Mirukan Royal Academy Hall of Famers - the Raira Siblings," the chief librarian identified them after the detectives showed her their badges. "I was a volunteer at the school library when I first started here, and it's fine if you don't remember me. The five of you have always been the talk of the campus along with the crown princes and other noted nobility around here, especially with the LEF those seven years ago. You've really left a huge mark in this school's history. Since the graduation of the original LEF thirty, the students right after you really looked up to you a lot. I'm happy to welcome you back to Mirukan Royal Academy again, except of course, you're detectives now."

  


"Thank you," the detectives bowed with their usual respectful manner as they were as students. After the exchange of bows, the chief librarian, named Haruko Kisaragi, lead them inside by lifting the yellow tape.

  


"It was really strange when we started to work on clearing out the old archives basement," Haruko continued on, as they stepped inside the library. "We started moving out the old shelves and my colleagues found a trapdoor with a strange-looking lock. We were all somewhat knowledgable with our country's outstanding ancient locksmith culture, but we've never seen such a very aged lock that's very sophisticated-looking at the same time. We tried to unlock it, even break it with bolt cutters, but nothing's penetrating the material that was used for the lock, even if it looks rusted."

  


"The LJB director already contacted the Mirukan Historic Society regarding the lock and see if they can send one of their historians or archaeologists to examine the lock," Kosuke advised the chief librarian. "We haven't heard back, but once they call the director back, we'll know."

  


When they reached the old archives basement floor, with the lights dimmed on purpose to protect some old documents from any form of light exposure, the detectives prepared their flashlights once they stepped on the floor. "Well, I'll leave you to your work here, detectives," the chief librarian said. "I'll be at my office if you need me."

  


As Haruko left the old archives basement premises to the detectives, the Rairas began to proceed with their own work. "Lin, Era, as usual," Kosuke said, "collect some strange-looking evidence and take some photos. Keigo, Mion, using your reishou know-how, try to examine the entire floor and see if there's any strange presence around here that no ordinary human can see or feel."

  


The detectives split up to do their assignments. Lin and Era placed their latex gloves on, plastic goggles, and face masks, and grabbed their evidence-collecting tools and readying their digital cameras as well. Keigo opened his smartphone and onto his file folders, where he scanned all the documents provided to them earlier about the unnamed student case. He lead Mion and Kosuke to one corner right across from the other end where the trapdoor was located.

  


"According to the old files and the old photos here," Keigo began, "Yundong's body was found right on this spot, just across from the trapdoor. It was also wrapped in an old cloth bag as well. There was no blood soaked on the bag used to stuff him in it, but there were also some strange patterns on the cloth itself that hasn't been really examined carefully because of lack of connecting evidence."

  


"The evidences are still kept at the RC-15 warehouse, so Kazuki, I mean Inspector Captain Tanabe, is now signing off his authorization to release the cold case box to us. When we get back to Youta's— er Precinct #34SN-B, that cold case box should be in our hands," Kosuke said.

  


Mion shook her head as she used her open palms to feel any form of presence at the spot where Yundong's body was found. "I don't feel anything here… usually, the wandering spirit of the victim will have its phantasmic traces near the spot where his body was located. But because there isn't anything here, that can only mean one thing." She turned to her brothers. "Yundong's body may be found here, but this was not where Yundong was murdered. It had to be somewhere else."

  


"Well," Keigo crouched and sat next to his sister, "if you can recall seven years ago when we first encountered Yundong, it was right past the right central intersection of the Muyoudake. Those urban legends those students were spreading around back then weren't rumors, but the only ones who witnessed that creepy scenario with those random specters and poltergeists were reishou. We never went past that intersection again ever since."

  


"Hm, speaking of the Muyoudake," Kosuke interrupted, as he reached for his backpack and took out a pamphlet map, "I forgot that the new school map was included in our folders. I think the map of the Muyoudake and the library grounds have been updated. You still have the old one that Prince Ryuta gave you guys from seven years ago?"

  


"Here," Keigo said, reaching for his backpack and revealing the old but still preserved map.

  


"Let's see if there are any changes," Kosuke suggested. The two brothers lined up both maps to see if there were any differences. Immediately, Mion spotted the updates.

  


"Why is the Muyuodake Grove map on the newly updated version seemed smaller than the old map that we got from Prince Ryuta seven years ago?"

  


Quickly, the brothers looked closer to check the differences. On the updated version, there was a red bar area with a caption that said _No Trespassing_ on it. It was marked directly at the right central intersection area of the map.

  


"No trespassing, huh," Kosuke began to rub his chin. "And on the old map, there is a much thicker grove past that and then there's a lake over there. It's very well-surrounded by a lot of hilly grounds, so, unless if there's some kind of a natural cave somewhere here, there's no other way to reach that lake area except for this blocked-off area of the grove. Now I'm curious what they're really hiding in that area…"

  


"Maybe the reishou after us who experienced this attack with some malevolent spirits like we did when we first ran into Yundong seven years ago warned the administration about how dangerous that area can be, even for ordinary humans," Mion suggested. "And from there, they decided to block off that area. And yet…"

  


"Yundong's wandering spirit may be lingering around there and between the library," Keigo suggested as well. "Besides the Muyoudake and the library grounds, we don't see Yundong anywhere else around campus. Not even at the HSS dorms area."

  


Kosuke began to update his todo list on his phone. "Right. Tomorrow, hopefully, they'll give us access to that blocked off area of the Muyoudake. If we're really meant to find Yundong's ghost as part of our investigation, we might as well head in that area. I don't know what kind of dangers we'll be facing as reishou, but we need to prepare for it somehow."

  


"I checked our reishou tantei supplies that were provided for us at our rooms earlier today," Mion said. "We've got new reishou amulets and different sets of _ofuda_ talismans gathered from both the Inner Seibara and Outer Seibara temples. I even wore mine on my neck right now." She revealed her said amulet from her neck. Kosuke and Keigo also revealed theirs around their necks.

  


"Hopefully we won't have to bring the talismans with us when we get there," Kosuke said, "but it's always best to be prepared."

  


"Guys, we got something!" Right then, they hear Era's voice calling out for them. The three turned to see Lin spraying a bit of the luminol solvent onto the floor from the locked trapdoor, then slowly proceeded forward to where Kosuke, Keigo, and Mion were sitting. The three detectives stood up and looked over Lin's shoulder and spotted the traces glowing out from the luminol spray.

  


"Well, well, look at what we have here…" Kosuke gave a content smile on his face.

  


"It's coming from the trapdoor, and it looks like the glow continues on all the way to the other end, where the body was found," Lin suggested. The detectives fell silent as they began observing and pondering the blood residue from the trapdoor.

  


"Hm," Keigo began his analysis. "From the patterns of the blood traces, they look like splattered drops. They're all coming from the trapdoor. The door itself is clean, but the edge that leads to the opening has drops of blood residue. If the body was dragged down to the other side, we'd have a long strip of blood from here to there. Since there's no blood stains on the cloth bag they used, that can mean that they didn't put the body inside the bag until they reached the other side. Rather than dragging it, it was carried carefully without any form of blood spilling. Still, they didn't exactly succeed in that."

  


"If the body was carried," Mion added, "that means there were two or more people who carried it to the other side. Now I'm curious what's really at the bottom of this trapdoor." She advanced to the trapdoor itself. "Let me take a look at something really quick."

  


"We already took photos and examined the lock, Neechan," Era reminded her, "but it never hurts to have a second look."

  


"The blood's completely dried up to the wooden ground," Kosuke said. "But we can still gather some blood samples and examine the DNA."

  


"Already on it," Era said. She and Lin began to take out the proper equipment to take any dried blood stain samples. Meanwhile, Kosuke began recording himself on his phone's voice recorder, documenting everything they found so far at the old archives floor.

  


"Guys, this is weird…" Mion called out, as her siblings turned directly right at her. "Keigo, can you check it out yourself and see if I'm not imagining things?"

  


Keigo approached her. "What do you need, Mion?"

  


"Can you examine the lock yourself?"

  


"Sure." Keigo approached the lock, and using his own pair of latex gloves, picked up the lock and suddenly felt a force that pushed him back. "Whoa!"

  


"You felt it, Keigo?"

  


Keigo's eyes widened. "Looks like there's something else besides a lock and a combination that needs unlocking."

  


"Why? What is it?" Kosuke asked curiously.

  


"There's some kind of a force that's also acting as a second lock onto this lock. Some kind of a phantasmic force that's keeping it sealed really tight."

  


"An _ofuda_ talisman would be able to remove that force out," Mion said. "But I'm having a bad feeling about this one if we open it right now."

  


"We still can't unlock it even if we remove this force out," Keigo suggested. "We still need those locksmith experts to examine and determine how we're going to open this thing."

  


"Alright," Kosuke frowned. "Looks like we've got what we're looking for. This is going to be a lot harder and longer than I thought."

  


"And to think, we're only here to find out who Yundong's killers were and finally put his spirit to rest," Mion sighed deeply. "Now I'm feeling a lot more grief for Yundong now."

  


"But at least, we've got a few things to take home and do some forensic examining," Era smiled. "Blood stains and a few traces of whatever that's spilled at the entire adjacent wall of the trapdoor. Looks like we're gonna be busy all night."

  


"Right." Kosuke began dialing on his phone and waited for his call to be answered. "Hey, Kazuki— I mean, Inspector Captain Tanabe!"

  


_"Oh, Yasu, what's up? How's your investigation coming?"_

  


"Kazuki, we need some officers patrolling the library area. We need the entire old archives basement yellow-taped."

  


_"You found something, Yasu? If you want the entire basement taped up, then what you found must be very huge!"_

  


"I got too much to explain over the phone, I'll report to everyone when we get back there."

  


_"Good. I'll send some officers down there to patrol the area twenty-four-seven."_

  


"Make it quick and send your reinforcements for patrolling and guarding the library premises ASAP. We've got some strange evidences we've collected too, so we're going to need the forensics lab ready."

  


_"There's a ready-made forensics lab at 34SN-B, so you don't need to stop by RC-15 just to do your forensic work. You got Lin and Era with you, right?"_

  


"Yeah, they'll be doing the forensic work with the evidence we have. In particular with the taping, I don't want anyone coming near that trapdoor."

  


_"Why? You figured out how to unlock that lock?"_

  


"Well, not really, but Mion and Keigo detected that there's something else that's acting as a secondary lock onto that lock. It's something no ordinary human can see."

  


_"Oh boy… that sounds scary. Alright then, once the officers arrive, you can finally get back to base. You want me to inform Sano about this?"_

  


"I'll do it when we get back."

  


_"Okay, good. Sano's off to Hangingake tonight."_

  


"Hangingake? Why?"

  


_"He's meeting up with the princes. They're scheduled to return to Kinshou tomorrow morning."_

  


"Will we be able to meet the princes when they arrive here?"

  


_"At the Royal Princes' Grand Ball, according to schedule."_

  


Kosuke scratched his head. "Alright, fine. I suppose the princes would need a few days' rest."

  


_"I'll leave you detectives to your work then."_ The two inspector captains hang up, as they head back to their work.

  


Meanwhile, Lin began to take photos of some random documents found on the shelves. "Lin-nii, what are you doing?" Era asked curiously.

  


"I know I'm probably wasting space on my SD card," Lin said, "but I was looking through these old documents on the shelves and found something really interesting. It reminded me of the usual manga and anime I usually binge-watch before, but this one creeps me out!"

  


"Are you kidding me, Lin-niki?" Kosuke raised an eyebrow, as he approached Lin and spotted the documents his forensic investigator older brother was taking photos of. "What in the…"

  


"What's going on?" All the detectives approached them and spotted the documents. There were several illustrations of monstrous creatures and other detailed but aged scenery illustrations that resembled many things very familiar to them.

  


Kosuke began dialing his phone again. "I'm going to have the chief librarian give us permission to let us borrow these documents here."

  


"We're gonna need to be very careful with these," Keigo frowned. "Just by looking at the paper these were printed, they're pretty well-preserved but they also look like they're hundreds of years old."

  


"I swear, it seriously freaked me out," Lin shook his head. "I can tell the difference between fact and fiction, but this one is just ridiculous!"

  


"They're all written or printed in ancient Seibara script too," Mion identified the writing system. "Actually, it's not just that it's written in ancient Seibara script, but it's also—"

  


"Huh," Keigo interrupted. "This is also the Seibara script that only royalty and ancient Seibara clergy can read and write."

  


"Oh boy," Mion shook her head. "Now we really need those historic society experts to hurry up and examine these, or at least, a clergy from either the Inner or Outer Seibara temples."

  


"I prefer the neutral party do this," Keigo suggested. "I say let the experts translate all of that for us."

  


After Kosuke hung up his phone, he turned to the detectives. "Right. Looks like we've got a lot of work cut out for us. It's been awhile that we haven't worked this much, don't you think?"

  


"You think the experts would be able to read this script? I mean, this is royalty-level script here. Wouldn't we need Youta or Shin or Ruki or Shosei to read all of this to us?"

  


"The chief librarian will bring in her staff to store or make copies of the requested documents to be delivered back with us when we head back. I guess our work is done for the day here."

* * *

  


### FLAME ROCK ESTATE (Precinct #34SN-B) - CHOU-KINSHOU, MIRUKAN (Present)

  


About an hour passed and the Raira detectives arrived with all of the evidences they collected from the old archives floor. As promised by Kazuki, the library premises and the old archives building had been yellow-taped and police officers with their supervisors arrived to patrol and guard the area. They spread out all of the evidences collected, with those needed for forensic examination were taken by Lin and Era and proceeded to the forensic lab already converted for them at the rooms a few doors from another one of their gathering rooms, now converted into an evidence room.

  


"So, none of y'all can read all these documents?" Keigo scratched his head, facing the RC-15 detectives.

  


"We're of the upper echelon of Mirukan, Keigo," Shuta Urano reminded him, "but lower than royalty. None of us would be able to read and translate all of that."

  


"But the illustrations looked really creepy though," Jun Uehara noted, as he gazed at the copies of documents laid out at the table. "Why'd you bring all this? Is this part of the cold case?"

  


"Possibly," Mion said, then pointing at the scenery surrounding the monstrous illustrations. "Take a look at these bamboo trees… and also, here, bamboo trees and clear blue water… and some gross-looking creatures crawling from it. What does this tell you?"

  


"Hm, the bamboo trees," Junki Kono joined in, "reminds me of the Muyoudake a lot. I mean I've hung out there near the entrance, but never really went further. But I did remember from the maps before that there was a lake within that forest. No one's been there from what I can remember and I didn't even want to go there because of the rumors."

  


"Exactly," Mion sighed. "As reishou, we didn't even dared go pass by this intersection because we don't want to get attacked by all these malevolent spirits…"

  


"Maybe there's a real-life hell in there," Shunya Osawa indicated. "I mean, I'm no reishou but from the sounds of your experience, it looks like it's hell in that lake area."

  


"And now," Keigo brought out the updated pamphlet map, "the map has been updated with this red bar here saying this area's off-limits now. Maybe they heeded to the urban rumors then, which for us reishou, turned out to be true."

  


"Maybe I could get the reason why we have to kidnap the princes," Kosuke found himself chuckling, shaking his head. "We're going to need them to help us work with this unnamed student case."

  


Right then, the doors open and a group of police officers entered with two boxes. According to the labels written, the boxes were the evidence boxes that was done by the previous detectives who worked on the unnamed student case 14 years ago. The Rairas gleefully cheered to see the boxes arrived to their base safely. The police officers saluted to the detectives, and exited. Quickly, they opened the boxes and brought out the evidences carefully.

  


Among the plastic-bagged evidence was an old small brown notebook that resembled the journals that Mrs. Kim lent them those days ago when they visited the Kishou Outer Seibara Temple to interview Heechon's family about Yundong. It was the first thing they spotted, but Kosuke grabbed the bag with the journal first.

  


"I'll be examining this myself," Kosuke said. "I'll let you all know what I found here."

  


"Man, no fair," Mion crossed his arms. "But you're the boss, so your call."

  


"Thank you," Kosuke grinned. They continued to look through the boxes when the detectives realized that there seems to be something missing from the evidence collected by the original detectives who worked on this case.

  


"No murder weapon," Mion muttered. "The journal Yasu-nii has on his hand has some blood stains that bled through the last few pages from the back. We need blood samples extracted from that too."

  


Kosuke turned the journal and found the noted blood stains. "And no one even examined the DNA on the blood on this journal?"

  


Meanwhile, the RC-15 detectives also looked through the evidence boxes to aid them. Shunya looked through the file folders inside and read through each evidence list. "Looks like the technology back fourteen years ago was outdated. What I meant to say is that they don't have the proper advanced equipment to extract the blood DNA from the journal. I think we should submit it to Lin and Era in the forensics lab to examine it. We should have the proper equipment to extract the DNA from paper now."

  


"Alright then," Kosuke handed the journal to Keigo. "Bring it to the forensics peeps and let them know what they need to do with that journal. I want this done ASAP so we can actually read what's inside the journal." Keigo saluted and made his way to the forensics lab.

  


"There's a summary here," Shuta pointed, helping Shunya looking through the folders. "According to the detective who examined the contents, even the handwriting was also coded."

  


"Coded?"

  


"There's photos here." The detectives gathered and examined the photos. The RC-15 detectives began scratching their heads as Junki identified the coded text.

  


"Hey, isn't this that ancient Seibara script that only royalty and upper echelon clergy can read?" Junki crossed his arms. "That's what's in that blood-stained journal?"

  


"It says on the reports that this journal definitely belongs to Yundong," Shuta continued.

  


"How come Yundong can write in that ancient script when he's neither?" Junki began to ponder.

  


"We did our homework," Kosuke interrupted. "Yundong Kim was the only son of the Hangingake Cardinal of the Inner Seibara denomination, so technically, he was a descendant of ancient Seibara clergy. It won't be surprising that he was well-versed with that ancient Seibara script."

  


"Why on earth would he write his entries in that writing system though?" Junki continued with the questions.

  


"I guess it's so no one else can read it when the journal falls into the wrong hands?" Mion shrugged her shoulders.

  


"So, all we gotta do is you reishou tantei go back to the library grounds and have Yundong read and translate for us, right?" Shuta asked.

  


Keigo arrived back in the room and joined in. "We have to find Yundong's wandering spirit first, which will be a little hard to do, even for Central Class reishou." Once he arrived on the spot, he continued. "We didn't find any phantasmic traces of his wandering spirit at the old archives basement when we were there, which only meant that the spot where his body was found fourteen years ago was not the murder scene. Wandering spirits of murder victims who never had proper burial ceremonies would linger near the areas where that victim was murdered."

  


"We ran into Yundong right past the right intersection area of Muyoudake Grove," Mion added. "The thing is, the updated map of the grove has the area past the intersection area blocked. We haven't had a chance to go there yet, but that would be one of the places that we'll be investigating tomorrow."

  


"Hopefully," Kosuke continued, "when the historic society experts arrive at the crime scene, they'll be able to figure out how to unlock that strange lock."

  


"Found the autopsy report here," Shuta called out, as he revealed the file folder that was labeled _Autopsy Report: Unidentified Student_ on it. "Maybe how he was killed was the reason why there was no murder weapon stored among the collected evidences."

  


They all skimmed together the autopsy report and see what the coroners have found. Immediately, the detectives' expressions turned sour and low once they read it.

  


" _The body was found in a thick cloth bag with a unique but almost invisible pattern. The victim had multiple stab wounds on the chest, one through the heart, two on each lungs. There were also rope marks found around the victim's neck…_ " Shuta read the autopsy report out loud, while the others felt different reactions from the report.

  


" _… the stab wounds were analyzed and identified the murder weapon as a dagger of sorts, however, there have been traces of discoloration between the stab wounds and the neck. This can also be concluded that the victim may have already died of strangulation before he was stabbed on the chest three times…_ "

  


"Strangulation… and stabbed?" Kosuke sighed, placing his hand over his eyes. "My god…"

  


Right at the spot, Mion lowered her head and then broke into tears. Keigo, who was standing next to her, took his sister and embraced her, lending her his shoulder to cry on.

  


"I'm sorry, Mion-chan," Shuta sighed. "I… well, we all knew… how much Yundong Kim meant to you those years ago. I shouldn't have read the autopsy report out loud. There's even photos here behind the documents, but I'm not going to take them out for everyone to see."

  


Mion, wiping her tears with a piece of tissue that was handed to her by Keigo, spoke: "This is our job, Shuta. This is what we signed up for. I need to see those autopsy photos as well since we won't have the actual body to examine it. As seasoned detectives, we should be used to seeing dead bodies being examined and being dissected on for investigation purposes. But… it's just that… I've never really worked on a case that had anyone I know of as murder victims and… I mean, I'm speaking as a close friend and admirer of Yundong right now… Who are the monsters who did this to him?"

  


"Maybe you should step down from the case and take a rest, Mion," Keigo suggested. "Or maybe don't get yourself involved in the autopsy examination. Besides, your main role is to find and communicate with Yundong's spirit."

  


Kosuke turned to his siblings. "Let's just discuss about this tomorrow. Mion, if you need to, just lie down and take a rest."

  


"No way, Yasu-nii," Mion shook her head, refusing. "If I back out now because of my personal feelings towards the victim, then I'm not doing my job properly."

  


"Alright then," Kosuke patted his sister on the shoulder. "Just remember, if there's something bothering you, let us know. You really need to learn how to open up one of these days and stop playing it cool. Lucky for us, your siblings, we can easily read that something's bothering you."

  


"Right. Sorry, Yasu-nii. I'll try."

  


"All of this merciless torture— just because he was about to leak info to the Shouran Rebels?" Sho broke his silence, as he turned towards Tomoaki, who was listening along. "Whoever must have done this to him really didn't want that info leaked out really bad…"

  


"Well, either that, or it's because of his background that those who knew have branded him a traitor," Tomoaki suggested.

  


"We don't even have evidence that it was the higher clergy of the Inner Seibara denomination was behind Yundong's murder," Kosuke added. "What Heechon's father told us during our interview with him were just mere speculation. We need to dig deeper into this, then we can pinpoint who were the bastards who did this to him."

  


"Lin and Era are already examining that blood-stained journal, Yasu-niki," Keigo said. "It may take hours to extract that blood, so they may not be able to come with us to the library for tomorrow's investigation."

  


Just as they were about to continue examining the old evidence boxes, Kubota arrived at the room, reminding them that dinner was already served. Some of the detectives did not want to leave after reading and hearing the autopsy report, as well as analyzing all the collected evidence from 14 years ago. After a few minutes, the detectives except Kosuke left the room for dinner.

  


Right then, his phone sounded and answered immediately, once he saw the name flashing on his screen. "Ah, Sano, just the person I've been waiting to hear from!"

  


_"I'm at Crown Prince Ruki's private residence now, here in Hangingake,"_ Sano answered on the other end.

  


"Ruki has a private residence too?" Kosuke blinked.

  


_"He's a crown prince, of course he'll have his own private residence! Come on, Yasupon, get yourself together!"_

  


"Jeez, I'm just playing," Kosuke gave a chuckle. "Right, so the historic society peeps got back to you?"

  


_"Yes, just a few minutes ago. Their experts are busy with other things but they were able to get a hold of four who are free and willing to assist you with your cold case. They'll be arriving at the Royal Capital early tomorrow morning and will rendezvous with you at the school library."_

  


"Arrive at the Royal Capital— you mean they're from outside the capital region?"

  


_"They're from your home region, Yasupon. I'm pretty sure you've met them as well— two of them that is."_

  


"Okay, so may I get their names?"

  


_"It's Dr. Heechon Kim of Kichou and Dr. Kise Sanjou of your hometown. The third one is flying back in the Royal Capital later tonight from an expedition from Winhill Highlands region who's very well-versed on the ancient Seibara culture and their expertise and fascination with locksmithing. He goes by the name of Dr. Younghoon Jeon."_

  


"Heechon, Kise, and Dr. Jeon," Kosuke muttered the names.

  


_"Dr. Jeon will be having an after-school seminar at the academy about a new Mirukan University program for those interested regardless of the field they graduated from, and there will be special guests who will be attending the seminar as well. However, because it is an on-campus event, it's not a public event and only students and faculty and specially invited guests can attend, that's why it's not publicized in the news and such. However, the news media will be present at those hours. Dr. Jeon decided to volunteer by helping with your case. He's well-versed with the ancient Seibara religion's history and culture, and has written several books about them. I'm sure he has some knowledge about the Seibaran locksmithing culture as well."_

  


"Okay… we'll be sure we'll wrap our Day 2 investigation before that."

  


_"Oh no no, I don't mean that, Yasu. I just want you to be aware that because of this seminar event, all eyes will be on Dr. Jeon and also the special guests. It also takes place at the grand auditorium, so it'll be distant from the library. All eyes will be on them, meaning no one will be curious or even spy around the library area during your investigation."_

  


Kosuke began to scratch the side of his head with a finger. "Who are these _special guests_ are we talking about here?"

  


Sano coughed. _"The Hangingake Royal Family and Crown Princes Youta and Shin."_

  


"Are you mad, Sano? Then we'll wrap up the investigation before they arrive. We weren't supposed to see each other until the grand ball, as we agreed, right?"

  


_"Yasu, don't be surprised if one of the princes want to see any of you. I can't exactly order the princes to not come to this seminar when this was already pre-planned some weeks ago. The Hangingake Royal Family sponsors this new university program, it's like a cultural exchange between Mirukan and Hangingake, and Dr. Jeon is one of the head organizers of the program. If it weren't for that planned demolition of the library you wouldn't be complaining about this right now."_

  


Kosuke frowned, sighing. "Alright, I'll figure out what to do to avoid ourselves not being seen by the princes. What about Heechon and Kise?"

  


_"Have you been paying attention to them, Yasu? Heechon's new book that he's working on is about the types of locks that the ancient Seibara clergy has created and used to lock their precious safes, if he hasn't told you that yet."_

  


"That's why I'm asking."

  


_"Kise's late grandfather was one of the last few handcraft locksmiths existing in this country. She inherited a volume collection of manuals on how to design, lock, and unlock different kinds of locks recorded through centuries and centuries of locksmithing. She's a very handy asset to your investigation, Yasu."_

  


"Thanks for letting me know."

  


_"Right now, the princes and their personal staff are discussing about when to leave and fly back to the Royal Capital."_

  


"I thought they won't be arriving till tomorrow?"

  


_"Well, we chatted and when I mentioned you guys and the Yundong Kim cold case, guess what. The princes wanted to head back to the Royal Capital ASAP."_

  


"The hell? Why? They need to relax, man!"

  


_"They miss you guys, I guess…"_

  


"Fine, they're princes, they can do whatever they want. Is that all you want to tell me?"

  


_"We'll talk later."_

  


"Alright. So who's the fourth one?"

  


_"The fourth one? He's actually Hangingakean."_

  


"And he's part of the Mirukan Historic Society? For reals?"

  


_"It's Taichi Kihara…"_

  


"Eh? Ruki's lapdog, I mean, er… personal associate and secretary?"

  


_"That Taichi Kihara. He needed an excuse to fly here so he can be watching closely over Crown Prince Ruki and Crown Prince Shosei."_

  


"Doesn't Shosei got his own personal secretary?"

  


_"The brothers share."_

  


"Oh boy."

  


_"Anyway, Taichi Kihara also studied the ancient Seibara script that only royalty and the ancient Seibara clergy can read and write. Nowadays it's just royalty. He volunteered to work with the Historical Society, since he's also a fanboy of Dr. Jeon."_

  


"Huh, another fanatic, huh? A Prince Ruki and a Dr. Jeon fanatic."

  


_"Seems so, Yasu."_

  


"Can't the princes just help us out with the ancient writing and crap?"

  


_"You won't be able to meet them soon until the grand ball anyway, so might as well have a backup to aid you with the case."_

  


"Ah, right. Good point. Alright then, I'll see you tomorrow morning then?"

  


_"Maybe past midnight. It looks like the princes do want to fly to the Royal Capital later tonight. I'll be with them, of course."_

  


"I'll be asleep past midnight! Don't expect me up and awake past midnight, Sir!"

  


_"Drink some coffee and try to stay awake, Yasu! You still have to submit your Day 1 Investigation Progress Report to me anyway when I arrive back."_

  


"Wait till tomorrow, dammit!" Kosuke complained.

  


Sano chuckled from his end. _"I'm just messing with you, Yasupon. But I wasn't kidding about the princes wanting to leave Hangingake for the Royal Capital as soon as possible."_

  


"Right. I'm out then." The two friends hung up, with Kosuke sighing out in relief.

  



	6. Reibashi (Necromancer)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Rairas reunite with more of their fellow classmates from the LEF-30. They learn more about the crime scene, the mystery behind the barrier in the Muyoudake Grove, and the shocking truth about the unidentified student's cause of death and the reason why witnesses were not able to identify him.
> 
> During investigation, Mion recalls a special memory with the alleged victim and another whom she thought would have been a new love from seven years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More characters, I know. I mentioned this before, but as you read the fic, please don't think about any "accuracies." This is a fantasy mystery mashed up fic after all.
> 
> Also, I didn't intend to make any focuses on romance, but... I blame Ruki on this one...

### FLAME ROCK ESTATE PRECINT #34SN-B - CHOU-KINSHOU, MIRUKAN (Present - 2:30 a.m.)

  


The majority of the detectives could not even sleep. For their first day of their unnamed student cold case investigation, so many things have blown up right at their faces. As for Inspector Captain Kosuke Raira, he remained on his desk at the bedroom he was assigned to with his laptop open, still trying to finish his first day investigation report to be submitted to Sano as soon as possible. Part of him wanted him to go to sleep, yet the other part still would not let him rest because he didn't want to forget all of the events that took place today, even though his deputies already submitted their own reports of what they've done earlier today.

  


The bloodstained journal was still in Lin's and Era's hands, still trying to extract any DNA and other components from the stain. As far as he knows, his forensics team still hasn't gone to bed yet. He had to fight the drowsiness that was falling upon him by drinking several cups of black tea and use its caffeine to keep him awake.

  


Thirty minutes later, he finally wrote his concluding paragraph, leading out a sigh of relief. He made sure he had everything recorded by skimming from the beginning until the end before he could send the attachment off to Sano. He muttered to himself that he should have taken the offer of becoming a detective at RC-15 instead and maybe had a chance to be the director of the LJB instead of his old friend Fumiya Sano.

  


Once he was satisfied with the report he's written, and saved the file in his confidential folder. He opened the email window and attached the report file, and typed Sano's email address as the recipient. He wrote a short message on the body:

  


_Cold Case #34SN-BYK Day 1 Investigation Progress Report attached._

  


_\- Ins. Capt. Kosuke Raira, #34SN/#34SN-B_

  


He stretched his arms and legs right after he pressed the send button. He stood up from his desk, already in his PJs, and turned to proceed to his bed. However, he heard another chime sounding off from his laptop and quickly ran back to his desk.

  


A reply from Sano suddenly arrived. Kosuke double-clicked the mail icon to see the message.

  


_Thanks, Yasupon. I'll read it ASAP… or maybe first thing tomorrow morning. Goodnight! - F.S._

  


_P.S. - I gave your phone number to the crown princes, so expect any one of them to call you very soon._

  


"Ugh, damn you, Sano! Can't a man sleep tonight? Jeez!" Kosuke cursed softly to the laptop, as he proceeded to the bed.

  


Once he tucked himself in and said his silent prayers, he turned off the side lamp and proceeded to his slumber. However, a few seconds later, he heard his smartphone vibrate on that same side table. Without hesitation, he grabbed his phone and saw the message icon with _Unknown Sender_ indicated in there.

  


He became curious and opened the message icon.

  


_Yasupon, are you still awake?_

  


And then, a few series of messages came after that.

  


_Sano gave us your phone number. No worries, he hasn't given out your team's phone numbers yet. Just yours._

  


_After all, after the grand ball, I'll be working under you. So excited for it!_

  


_You haven't told Mion about me yet, have you? If you haven't, I'm glad. I want to be the one to tell her myself one day._

  


_If you're asleep now, you don't have to reply to the messages. I'll text you again tomorrow._

  


_But I do miss our past-midnight chats back in our academy dorm days. Those were really fun! I look forward to those past-midnight chats again when we work alongside together, Yasu._

  


_Oh, and yes, I did change my phone number._

  


_Goodnight, Yasupon!_

  


Kosuke rolled his eyes and placed his smartphone back on the side table, proceeding himself to sleep.

  


Moments after he closed his eyes, he started to see visions in a dream-like state.

  


_"There is something in the lake area of the Muyoudake… there is a society, a cult maybe, in dark hoods… they're breeding something monstrous there. I… I don't know what it is, but it's like… I have to have these translated… someone from the Shouran Rebels may be able to read it… please, find someone from the Shouran Rebels and deliver this journal… hurry before it's too late!"_

  


_"The high clergy council of the Inner Seibara denomination isn't what the whole world thinks they are!"_

  


Along with the fainted voices from a male voice he wasn't familiar with, there were mixed versions of ghastly expressions from various ghosts and spirits, screaming their lungs of their suffering, as well as voices he can form from his ears.

  


_"Don't worry about me, I deserve to die. I do belong in that family after all. But the world needs to know the truth!"_

  


Immediately, his eyes opened wide and found himself in the bedroom again. He slowly got up from his bed and reached for his phone again. He found the last two recent call records on his screen: one belonging to Sano, the other belonging to the unknown caller who sent those text messages. Between the two, he decided to take a gamble and reply to the unknown caller through text messaging.

  


KOSUKE: _I'm up and awake. I just had a nightmare a few minutes ago._

  


Few seconds later, the reply immediately arrived.

  


UNKNOWN: _Yasupon, are you okay? I'm about to sleep myself, since I have no one else to talk to…_

  


He sighed in relief, knowing that the unknown caller was still awake. He then continued on with the texting.

  


KOSUKE: _Keigo and Mion are probably asleep right now. They probably have had nightmares like these more often but I'm sure they're probably used to it and sleep them off._

  


From there, the replies became a lot quicker.

  


UNKNOWN: _Yes. Reishou, normally Central Class and above, do get nightmares from random wandering spirits, usually about their pleas and their pasts and things they haven't accomplished yet before their deaths. Most of them aren't very pleasant, but some seem to be calming._

  


UNKNOWN: _Do you want to tell me what your nightmare was, Yasupon?"_

  


KOSUKE: _I don't know… I mean I'm General Class reishou, so I really don't know how the voices of normal ghosts sound like, and even if I'm classified as a reishou tantei, I can't really help much, unlike Keigo and Mion. All I hear are wailing and creepy moans from the malevolent ones._

  


UNKNOWN: _Ok, Yasupon. I'm wide awake. Take your time._

  


KOSUKE: _Well… I want to take a guess… I think I just dreamed of Yundong Kim. I've sent my full progress report of our Day 1 Investigation into the Yundong Kim murder cold case earlier today to Sano, so the story's all there. But one of the evidences that we found in the stored evidence box from the RC-15 warehouse was a bloodstained journal. The journal has a lot of hand-drawn illustrations of some weird creatures… monsters… demons… I don't know. But the handwriting was written in that ancient Seibara script that the Seibara religious clergy normally use and that the only ones who can read them besides them are royalty. Am I right?_

  


UNKNOWN: _Ah, yes. Sano immediately opened your attachment from his email once he received it. He read it aloud to us before we all went to bed. I couldn't sleep right now because of your report, Yasupon. I was really itching to talk to you about it. But since you got to me first, and this whole nightmare, maybe I can help a little bit, even if I can't do anything from my end right now._

  


KOSUKE: _There will be four reps from the historic society who will be aiding us with that trapdoor lock. We'll be meeting them tomorrow. One of them happens to be your personal assistant._

  


UNKNOWN: _Haha, I'm surprised you didn't call him my 'lapdog' like you used to LOL. Were you actually being professional as an inspector captain, Yasupon? I don't blame you, we're no longer kids._

  


KOSUKE: _LOL. I was tempted. :P_

  


UNKNOWN: _Still the same Yasupon. I'm glad._

  


KOSUKE: _Good._

  


UNKNOWN: _Right, proceeding. He volunteered. I didn't assign him to assist the historic society, although he is a member. He may assist you with figuring out how to unlock that trapdoor, but that's it._

  


Kosuke found himself chuckling, then quickly changed the "unknown" name on his text message to the actual name of the person behind the text replies.

  


KOSUKE: _So, none of them can actually help us translate what's in the bloodstained journal… or those weird ages-old documents we found earlier?_

  


RUKI: _A member of the royal family or a family member of a high clergyman of either the Inner or Outer Seibara denomination would be able to read and translate the ancient Seibara script. You will have to wait until after the grand ball for us to translate it for you._

  


KOSUKE: _Do you think Heechon can read the ancient Seibara script? I mean he's Yundong's younger cousin and his family owns and runs the Kichou town Outer Seibara temple and all._

  


RUKI: _Possible. To be honest, neither of us princes are sure if any distant family members of high clergy of either denominations would be able to read it. You see, the Seibara script isn't really learned by anyone. It's more like… it's inherited. It's one of the key proofs that a person is born of royalty or of high Seibara clergy when one is in doubt. There are a lot of things that the princes and I have to prepare for the ball, so you really have to wait until after the grand ball._

  


KOSUKE: _Well, thanks for the tip anyway. I don't know, I'm having a bad feeling about this whole *Sankinran_ operation bit. You guys are seriously gonna get us killed. How long have you all planned this entire _Sankinran_ operation?*

  


RUKI: _I know. It's a very huge risk. We're all going to be captured and die of treason if we fail this. But both as a person and as an heir to the Hangingake throne, I've learned that sometimes, we have to take the greatest risks for the sake of the future of our people. I've taken risks like these before and even if it was really difficult, I was able to get through them. As the current inspector captain of a Mirukan cold case precinct, you have to have the same mindset too. It's one of the key lessons we've all learned back as LEF students. We all have taken several years of school from academy level to university level to learn, understand, and interpret the core laws of the Mirukan Empire and its allied nations like mine._

  


RUKI: _Yes, it's a very huge risk we are willing to take. If I were to die, it would be because it's for the sake of my people and all people around the world, not because of some sick and twisted religious ritual of a religion I turned away from a long time ago._

  


RUKI: _We've made several core promises together as the LEF-30 and we all swore we won't back away from those promises. Anyone who backs away from those promises aren't just cowards but will be deemed as traitors. Sad to say, today, I don't feel that the LEF-30 will indeed stay together for this operation. I'll explain it to you a bit more at another time._

  


KOSUKE: _Yeah. You're right. There's way too many things that's going through my head right now. And then this random nightmare that I just got right now. I don't know…_

  


KOSUKE: _I heard a ghostly voice saying that, if I can remember correctly, there is some secret society in dark robes is hiding something in the lake area of the Muyoudake. Something they're breeding… like there's something over there that they're breeding. And then, what woke me up immediately was these words that kept ringing through my head several times._

  


KOSUKE: _"Don't worry about me, I deserve to die. I do belong in that family after all. But the world needs to know the truth…"_

  


RUKI: _… "But the world needs to know the truth"?? What does that mean? What truth?_

  


KOSUKE: _I included a brief summary about Yundong in my report, I'm pretty sure Sano read it to you guys already, unless if he's really going to read it first thing in the morning._

  


RUKI: _Yeah. I'm really surprised that Yundong was a member of the Kim Clergy Clan. His father is the current Cardinal of the Hangingake branch of the Inner Seibara denomination. I see him visit our home palace almost daily to meet with my father, the King of Hangingake. The only thing I knew about his family from my father and mother was that two of his children died of a plague. My sister, Princess Honoka, advised me that the Cardinal was lying because the reported plague epidemic occurred not too long after Yundong was found dead at the school library._

  


RUKI: _There had been rumors throughout the palace about my mother having a past affair with a clergyman's son before, but eventually faded. I confronted my parents about them myself but neither of them would open up. After thinking about it, it may have been Yundong who was that clergyman's son. But, according to your report and from Heechon Kim's father's testimony, Yundong was no longer in Hangingake after his oracle sister drowned herself, so those rumors and your report don't add up at all._

  


RUKI: _Ah, this is why sometimes, I feel that being born into royalty is more of a curse to me than a blessing. When I became a reishou along with Mion, Keigo, and Crown Prince Shin, I really wanted to be a reishou tantei. I'm a candidate of two thrones and I've submitted my official withdrawal from candidacy several times but both of them denied my withdrawal. Is it wrong for a royal-born like me to dream of becoming one? I'm reishou anyway._

  


RUKI: _This is why I want the Shouran Rebels to succeed in kidnapping me, Shin, and Shosei out of the palace walls, so that a part of my dreams may be fulfilled._

  


KOSUKE: _You're one of the smartest people I've known since we've met, Ruki, so I trust what you're doing. You're like a brand-new adopted Raira brother to me along with Lin and Keigo, you know that._

  


RUKI: _Thank you, Yasupon. I've always looked up to you since LEF. The rest of the world outside LEF wouldn't understand, but even as a prince, I'm more of a follower than a leader._

  


RUKI: _Regarding your nightmare, I don't know how to interpret that. This new society or something is hiding something at the lake area of the Muyoudake? Come to think of it, no one's been in that lake area since we started attending school there. Not even us reishou. And now, seeing this updated pamphlet map, that area beyond that intersection has been blocked off? I wonder why…_

  


KOSUKE: _First thing early morning before school starts, we'll be going back to investigating the library grounds again, and hopefully we'll gain access to that blocked off area at the Muyoudake. Mion and Keigo couldn't feel any phantasmic traces of Yundong's spirit at the old archives floor, so we need to get to Muyoudake to find him._

  


RUKI: _That can only mean one thing. Yundong was murdered somewhere else._

  


KOSUKE: _That's what Mion also said earlier when she couldn't trace any traces of Yundong's spirit, so I trust yours and her instincts. That trapdoor is a major key in finding out the location where he was murdered, and possibly the murder weapon… or weapons… as well._

  


RUKI: _A dagger and a rope? I know we have to wait until the grand ball, but I really want to go out there and investigate with you. I have stronger reishou powers than Mion and Keigo, so I can easily trace any ghostly presence quicker than they would. I'm really dying here!_

  


KOSUKE: _You're at Youta's and Shin's crib right now, you shouldn't feel that way._

  


RUKI: _Yeah, I know. Anyway…_

  


There was a pause in between, with Kosuke thinking Ruki may have fallen asleep at the end. He decided to tuck himself in his comforter when his phone started vibrating again. Quickly, he reached for his phone and opened the icon.

  


RUKI: _Do you have a bit more time? There's something else I'd like to ask you._

  


Kosuke quickly replied the prince's text.

  


KOSUKE: _I'm getting a bit sleepy now, but shoot._

  


RUKI: _Um… you see… it's got nothing to do with what we just talked about. Sorry to change the subject. But…_

  


RUKI: _It's a little… personal._

  


Kosuke led out a deep sigh, then wiped his eyes. _This is one thing I hate about Ruki. To the lucky girl who ends up becoming his wife, good luck staying up this late if the prince doesn't want to be lonely past midnight…_

  


KOSUKE: _Okay. Text away._

  


Right then, Kosuke continued to wipe his eyes as he kept them open, as the trail of texts started arriving on his screen.

* * *

  


### MIRUKAN ROYAL ACADEMY (5:30 a.m.)

  


"Yasu-nii, we're here."

  


Mion and Keigo, with Keigo being the driver of the car, turned their heads to the back seat, where they found their inspector captain Kosuke Raira sound asleep. Era, who was sitting at the back seat with Kosuke, began to tap his forehead to wake him up. Immediately, Keigo reached his arm and gently slapped Kosuke on both his cheeks.

  


"Nnngghhh… what…?" Kosuke murmured, waking up from his nap at the back seat.

  


"We're here, Yasu-niki," Keigo said. "The historical society experts are having coffee near the entrance, where that coffee booth is."

  


Kosuke stretched his arms and rubbed his eyes once more. "What time is it anyway?"

  


"5:30 a.m.," Mion answered. "You're the one who said we should be here at around this time, so here we are."

  


"He only slept for about an hour and a half, that's why he's half-awake," Era sighed. "I mean I fell asleep on the desk at the forensics lab because I was waiting for the blood extraction from that journal, but Lin is seriously wide-awake when he was doing his thing. I have to come with you guys so I can collect the new evidence from the RC-15 CSI team for analysis today."

  


"An hour and a half? Seriously, Yasu-nii?" Mion frowned. "You're better than this, you're usually the first person who's up among the five of us! What time did you go to sleep?"

  


"Then again, his progress report that he had to submit to Sano must be very long and detailed," Keigo sighed again.

  


"Let's not talk about my sleeping habits today," Kosuke frowned at them. "Let's meet the experts and get to work."

  


The three detectives exited their SUV and approached the nearby food booths not too far from the school's entrance. At the patio tables near the said coffee booth, they spot three individuals, dressed in their appropriate attire, enjoying their coffee cups while chatting at the same time. The detectives approached the table, as Heechon raised his hand, waving at them.

  


"Lovely morning, Detectives!" Heechon greeted, with Kise also waving.

  


"Good morning, Historians," Mion cheerfully greeted them.

  


"Dr. Jeon," Heechon began the introductions, "these are Inspector Captain Kosuke Raira and Detectives Mion and Keigo Raira, from Yamabe Precinct #34SN. Detectives, this is Dr. Younghoon Jeon, senior historian and archaeologist, specializing in Mirukan and Hangingake religious studies."

  


They bowed and shook hands with one another, as they introduced themselves. "Younghoon is fine with me," the established expert answered.

  


"Younghoon it is," Kosuke nodded, as they shook hands once more.

  


"Ah, to think," Younghoon began, "I finally get to meet five of the hall of famers from Mirukan Royal Academy. My seminar later today would be nerve-racking."

  


"You've given a lot of seminars and workshops in the past, so I'm sure you're used to them," Keigo answered. "Why would you be nervous?"

  


Heechon pointed at a poster posted at the main entrance bulletin board, as the Rairas approached it. They read about a new university program that will be introduced to incoming freshmen starting next school year, a one-year cultural student exchange between Mirukan Royal University students and the Royal Hangingake University students. Younghoon was hired as the new chairman of the program as of next year.

  


Although the event is only on-campus and that students and faculty may attend, there are a few special guests who were invited to the seminar. Two particular names gave Keigo, Mion, and Era a startle.

  


"What? Ruki's and Shosei's family is attending?" Mion gasped.

  


"So are Youta and Shin," Keigo blinked in surprise.

  


"Whatever happened to us meeting them at the day of the grand ball?" Era frowned.

  


"That's the thing," Kosuke interrupted. "We're _not_ going to meet them today. I know all of y'all are anxious, but we stick to the plan. We're here to work, not to socialize with old friends."

  


"Bro, that sounds so cold," Keigo pouted. "But you're right."

  


"Good," Kosuke yawned, stretching his arms. "I know you all have different feelings when it comes to the crown princes, but we're professionals now, not immature high schoolers."

  


"Yes, Sir," the sisters sighed, as Kise stood up and changed the subject.

  


"Today is also the first-day orientation for incoming first-years as well," Kise added. "There's a few coming from Yamabe too."

  


"Ah, that's right!" Keigo snapped his fingers. "Aren't Mame and his friends arriving here today?"

  


"Kimata's gonna come and pick them up from the airship port when they arrive in the morning," Kosuke reminded them. "So, it's possible we'll be seeing Mame and his friends later today."

  


"Let's all hope and pray for Mame's and his friends' success and youth here at Mirukan Royal Academy," Era pressed her palms together. "Right, let's have some coffee!"

  


"You guys should try the coffee from the booth. Their coffee and tea became so popular with both the students and the teachers, they decided to move the booth outside the campus gates, so everyone can try them. I really like how they named their signature drinks after notable alumni! Their top ten bestselling coffee beverages, two of them are named after you guys!"

  


"Eh? Really, Kise?" Era gasped, and dashed right at the booth to check out their menu. Mion followed her from behind. "Waaah~ Neechan, look! _Raira Bros Blend_ and _Raira Sisters Special_!"

  


"Eh? Serious?" Keigo gasped and joined his sisters, gazing at the menu. "Whoa… what an honor!" Eventually, Kosuke approached the booth as well. He stood in front of the window and rang the bell. The booth's owner, a middle-aged stout man, approached the window.

  


"Yes, what would you like for this morning?" The owner greeted them with his friendly voice.

  


"We'll get two Raira Bros Blends and two Raira Sisters Special, please. One of the Raira Bros Blends, can you substitute the sugar for honey and double the chicory, also large size?"

  


The booth owner repeated the orders and then gazed through the window and at the customers. "Say… wait… aren't you…?"

  


"In the flesh, my friend," Kosuke grinned, as he and the siblings flashed their ID wallets.

  


"Oh my! What an honor to see you here, Raira Siblings!" The owner exclaimed happily, as Kosuke handed him his credit card to pay. Once he transacted the payment, he passed the receipt to his baristas at the back to make their drinks, then handed the card back to the customer.

  


"We've been in business for four years now, and my friends and I wanted to open this coffee booth in honor of the Mirukan Royal Academy Hall of Famers. The LEF-30 class so far have been the most popular of all the classes in this school, and it's all because of you siblings and the four crown princes too!"

  


"Well, thank you very much for the honor," Kosuke smiled. "Next time, we'll bring Lin along. I'm sure he'll be happy too."

  


"Absolutely! We hope you enjoy our original blends and you'll see why they're in our Top 10 Bestselling Drinks from our menu."

  


The Rairas thanked the booth owner and eventually received their cups of coffee, with Kosuke's being the large size. They sat back at the patio table with the historic society experts, and then began sipping on their coffee.

  


"Mmm, so good!" Mion smiled happily. "The Raira Sisters Special really has the right blend. There's hints of orange, strawberry, and pomegranate in them!"

  


"Mmhmm," Era licked her top lip from the whipped cream. "I wanna try more of their drinks!"

  


Kosuke sighed out after taking a few sips of his Raira Bros Blend. "This stuff's really strong! Now I'm wide awake!"

  


"We should just have Kubota order all our coffee from here while we're working at 34SN-B!"

  


"34SN-B? You have another precinct branch here, Keigo?" Heechon asked curiously.

  


"It's where we're working at during our stay here at the Royal Capital," Kosuke answered immediately, as to not reveal their actual location from anyone not involved with the cold case.

  


"Ah, got it," Heechon gave a thumbs up.

  


"Right, I'm wide awake! This Raira Bros Blend is strong stuff!" Kosuke declared, as he stood up. "It's fifteen minutes till six. Let's get to work."

  


They thanked the coffee booth crew, showed their IDs at the guard station at the academy gates, as the guard on duty opened the gates for the detectives and historic society experts. They followed the entrance trails and navigated themselves to the now yellow-taped library area. As expected, the police officers assigned from RC-15 were still there, patrolling and guarding the area. When they arrived near the area, the officers greeted them and lifted the yellow tape for them to enter.

  


One high-ranked officer approached the detectives. "Undercover detectives Inoue, Okano, and Sasaki arrived on the scene too to supervise the patrolling."

  


"Huh," Kosuke tapped his chin. "Those are some names we haven't heard from in seven years. Thanks."

  


They approached the tables and canopies with , where they spotted more of their old friends, undercover detectives Minato Inoue, Kaito Okano, and Mao Sasaki, resting while having their coffee. Once they saw one another, they shook hands and embraced one another.

  


"What are you guys doing here?" Kosuke laughed. "I thought it was only Junki, Uehara, Urano, Miyazato, and Osawa who are assigned to this too."

  


"We were wrapping up an undercover stakeout early night," Minato explained to them. "Luckily we were able to finish early and got our guys in the slammer."

  


"It's the Eriashi Bros!" Keigo cheered, as he exchanged hi-fives with Kaito Okano and Mao Sasaki. "Wait… where's Inayoshi?"

  


"Hospital," Mao answered immediately.

  


"Eh? What happened to him?"

  


"Got shot on the leg during our stakeout. He'll be out of there in a couple days," Kaito answered.

  


"Ooh man," Era pouted. "Hope Inayoshi-kun will recover soon."

  


"He'll be fine," Kaito repeated.

  


"What was the case you guys were working on?" Mion asked curiously, changing the subject.

  


"Eh, the usual illegal drug busts," Mao answered, shrugging his shoulders. "Routine case as always."

  


"So," Kaito began, "we're all segregated by shifts. The three of us plus Inayoshi are used to work on cases past midnight, so it's natural we'd take the graveyard shift. And luckily we got here on time too."

  


"Why's that, Okano?" Kosuke asked curiously.

  


"We arrived here at around 2:30 a.m.," Minato answered. "We were gonna have some of the CSI on patrol here to start searching and clean up the old archives basement, just picking up from where you guys left off from yesterday. Since we're all Central Class reishou tantei too, we decided to examine that lock ourselves and see if we can figure something out. And then, something strange happened while we were examining it."

  


Kosuke sipped on his coffee again. "Yeah? Go on?"

  


"The trapdoor started to tremble like crazy, man!" Mao gritted his teeth and showed his frightened expression. "It was like there's something in that trapdoor that wants to get out! We all backed out and the CSI officers ran out, but the three of us remained nearby the stairs to see if it'll burst open."

  


The Rairas gazed at one another in shock, as Keigo turned to the undercover detectives. "Luckily it didn't, otherwise we'd be seeing a lot of dead bodies around here…"

  


Kaito nodded in agreement. "Gotta say, that lock really is some serious piece of work. It really kept that trapdoor shut. The damn trapdoor kept on trembling like it's about to burst open for about two hours! If you ask me, it's not the lock that's just powerful, but the trapdoor itself too has got some force field over it as well."

  


"Huh," Mion rubbed her chin. "Keigo and I didn't feel anything from that trapdoor. We felt that force field on the lock, but not the trapdoor."

  


"There's only one explanation why we felt it and you guys didn't," Minato sipped on his coffee. "From the hours of 3 a.m. till 5 a.m., what do we call it?"

  


"Ah!" Keigo shrieked. "The Witching Hours! That's the supernatural peak in which dark forces become really potent and powerful and out for blood! No insane human should be outside during these hours or else."

  


"Our guess is," Minato continued, "when that _thing_ started attempting to push that trapdoor open, whatever that force field that we detected from that trapdoor suddenly activated full-blast. I think that force field was making sure that it keeps that trapdoor sealed shut along with that lock. Even that force field that was keeping that lock shut also went full-blast too."

  


"I dunno, man," Mao shook his head. "I mean Captain Kazuki sent us the summary of the cold case and what you guys found in there, but I think there's something else a whole lot worse that may have killed that poor dude. It may not be a dagger or a rope as murder weapons. Damn."

  


"Well, it's almost 6 a.m., so it should be safe to get down there," Kosuke said. "Alright, let's head down."

  


"We'll be busy writing our summary report here," Minato said, "once we get our reports done, Captain Kazuki will review them and then send them directly to you guys."

  


"You guys did good," Kosuke patted the three of them. "Y'all should head home and sleep."

  


"Thanks, Yasu. Good luck in there, man."

  


"Oh yeah, Era," Kaito nudged. "We got a few more bits of evidence we collected here. You're here to check them out, right?"

  


"Oh yeah, thanks!" Era split from the group and followed Kaito, while the others proceeded to the library.

  


Some moments later, the Raira detectives and the historic society experts arrived at the old archives basement. The lights were still on and some areas of the floor were already numbered with their evidence marks by the graveyard shift patrol last night, as they arrived fully equipped with face masks, goggles, gloves, and other necessary equipment. Younghoon, Heechon, and Kise gathered around the trapdoor, with Heechon and Kise wearing microscope eyepieces on their goggles and Younghoon opening his laptop on.

  


"This is one fancy piece of work…" Heechon muttered, as he held onto the lock and gently rubbing it to feel its design. "Very, very fancy piece of work. Gotta say, a very high-leveled locksmith definitely made this."

  


"From the design patterns, front and back, even on the sides," Younghoon analyzed, "I don't think this is a work of the ancient Seibara clergy. It can't be. Seibara clergy locksmiths tend to spend more time on the lock's functionality than its design, plus they will proudly engrave the golden-colored Seibara emblem in there. This one, however, really spent a lot of time focusing on both functionality and design."

  


"The design basically is crafted as the locksmith's own signature," Kise added. "I've never seen this kind of design pattern before, so I'll definitely have to dig through my grandpa's old manuals for that pattern."

  


Heechon turned to his colleague. "You haven't finished your lock database yet?"

  


Kise shook her head. "I haven't had the time to finish. I still got three more volumes to go through."

  


Younghoon looked up after examining the lock. "We'll go through all the manuals together. Take photos of the lock first so you all have a reference." He turned at the detectives, who were currently looking through ages old documents still sitting on the moved shelves. "After hearing about the report from the undercover detectives earlier today, I suggest we not unlock this for the time being until it's safe. Besides, we still have no clue on how we're going to unlock this lock."

  


Kosuke nodded in agreement. "I was thinking along the lines also. We don't want to unleash some hostile supernatural forces that's been trying to break this trapdoor open for several years and then we all die from it. Thanks for all your efforts, guys." He cleared his throat. "For now, just do what you can and research on that lock. My deputies and I will investigate at another area we haven't gone yet."

  


"Yeah?" Heechon asked curiously. "Where's that?"

  


"We'll check with Era first and see what other evidences the graveyard crew collected. We still have to investigate the ground area surrounding the library, and of course, the Muyoudake."

  


"We'll update you when we find something, Captain Yasu," Kise gave her word. "But right now, we'll be going upstairs and in one of the private study rooms at the library to do more research."

  


"Hm, that reminds me," Keigo pondered. "I thought there were four of you?"

  


Younghoon gazed at Keigo. "Ah, the fourth one? Kihara-kun? He'll be busy during the daytime, but he'll take over my place before the seminar begins."

  


"Ah, so he's just your replacement during our investigation," Keigo pointed.

  


"Well, you could say that. He's a little… I can't find the right word, but don't underestimate him with his knowledge about the subjects involved with this case."

  


"Oh, no one's underestimating anyone," Keigo whistled. "It's just that… guys like him don't really like people like us that much."

  


"Well, what can I say? Some people do change," Younghoon patted Keigo on the side of his arm, as he stood up.

  


"Good luck with your findings, experts. Hopefully, you'll update us when you find something important," Mion praised them.

  


"Same to you, detectives," Younghoon nodded. "We'll get our things set up first before we head out for breakfast."

  


The detectives exited the old archives library first and climbed the stairs all the way to the first floor lobby. The clock on the wall indicated that it was 6:30 a.m., in which some of the faculty and staff should be arriving at their offices and classrooms. Just as they expected, the chief librarian Haruko Kisaragi, was about to unlock her office door. She spotted the detectives making their way at the exit.

  


"Ah, detectives, good morning," Haruko greeted them. "Please, wait a moment." She opened the office door and made her way inside. She invited the detectives in, as she placed her backpack and then opened the drawers at her desk. 

  


She took out a folder, opened it, and revealed a few copies of blueprint maps. "I recall that you also plan on investigating the library premises, all the way to the Muyoudake Grove area. I figured I'd make copies of the official library and premises blueprint to guide you."

  


"Thank you very much, Miss Kisaragi," Kosuke thanked her, as she handed them the copies.

  


"Today will be a busy day, with the university exchange seminar that Dr. Jeon will be holding, and it'll cause a lot of riot here with the special guests arriving to attend that seminar too," Haruko continued. "I won't be able to attend the seminar myself, but some of my library colleagues will. I have to attend a phone conference with some library associations, but I'll be available here if you need any more assistance."

  


"We really appreciate it, Miss Kisaragi."

  


The detectives exited the library and spotted Era at the police canopies, where some of the police officers and CSI teams were serving take-out breakfast of pancakes, French toasts, and waffles along with eggs, bacon, ham, toasts, and more. The breakfast was catered by another on-campus food booth, The Academy Breakfast, and coffee was also catered by the coffee booth by the entrance, named The Academy's Favorite Coffee and Tea.

  


"Breakfast time!" Era cheered happily. "These folks here sure are friendly and kind to volunteer with the food!"

  


"Huh? They volunteered?" Kosuke scratched his head. "Shoot, let's pay for everything as our gratitude, you know?"

  


"Smells good!" Mion cheered. They gathered their recyclable plastic boxes that contained their chosen breakfast meals. Later, the historic society experts arrived on the scene, also picking up their boxes for breakfast and gathered their coffee.

  


The detectives and the experts sat together at one of the patio tables surrounded by the police canopies. They begin their usual chatter while they feast on their breakfast.

  


"Sun's coming out really nice and warm," Era smiled, gazing right towards the East, just past above the library building's roof. "Today's going to be a beautiful day for school, work, and that university program seminar later this afternoon!"

  


"We'll probably be done with Day 2 investigation before then," Kosuke reminded them.

  


Keigo gave a chuckle. "You really don't want us to see the crown princes and vice versa, do you, Yasu-niki?"

  


"We stick to the plan, Keigo, unless Sano says it's fine for us to encounter them. However, we are at a public place and no one in public actually knows our personal relationships with them except that we were schoolmates under the same field," Kosuke reminded them. "I don't like the idea of pretending we've never met at all because it will be difficult, but it's for the sake of the confidentiality of this cold case. The world and media should focus more on the crown princes and no one should know about us reopening the unnamed student murder case."

  


"I will eventually be speaking with them," Younghoon joined in, "so, if you have any messages for them later today, I'll be glad to pass it along discreetly."

  


They proceeded with their breakfast and continued on chatting about the case. There were a few times where the Rairas and Heechon, who are Mirukan Royal Academy alumni, recalled their times and comparing the scenery of the campus today compared to the campus they've gotten used to seven years ago.

  


Later, one of the police officers on patrol approached their table with a message. "Um, Captain Raira, detectives, there's someone outside the police line wanting to speak to one of you."

  


"Yeah? Where?" Kosuke wondered, as the police officer turned his head to his direction. There stood a young woman around their ages with chest-length dark brown hair, minimal makeup that showed more of her natural beauty, wearing a lavender cashmere top and long khaki skirt and black flat shoes.

  


Keigo always had a bit of a weakness when it comes to cute and beautiful women, and the woman standing outside their police line was no exception. He blushed a bit and immediately stood up from his seat. "Y'all enjoy your breakfast. I got it from here."

  


Heechon followed Keigo with his eyes and found the woman standing outside the police line. "Eh? I… I know her! I didn't expect her to be here!"

  


"Hey, isn't that—" Era gasped once she gazed at the woman's face, as Mion quickly covered her sister's mouth.

  


"Let's all watch and see how Keigo the reishou tantei detective does in this situation," Kosuke smirked. They all fell silent, and as they continue feasting on their breakfast, their eyes were directly at Keigo and the young woman outside.

  


"Ehem," Keigo cleared his throat, then slowly flashed his adoring smile. "Good morning. I'm one of the detectives on this case. Detective Keigo Raira of 34SN." He opened his wallet to show his ID. "My colleagues are currently having their breakfast right now, but I'm available. How may I be of service?"

  


"Oh," the woman softly whispered, as she slowly backed away once she gazed at Keigo's face. "I… I was wondering… if I can speak to your inspector captain."

  


"The inspector captain is currently eating breakfast and he gets cranky when he gets interrupted, but I'm available," Keigo continued on with is dashing smile.

  


"Ah… you haven't changed…" The woman muttered to herself with her head slightly lowered.

  


"I'm sorry, what was that?"

  


"Ah, nothing… nothing…" The woman shook her head and looked back up at Keigo again. "Well, in any case… I'm an instructor here at Mirukan Royal Academy, HSS field, and also a part-time researcher of Mirukan History studies. I came here because I've heard from the librarians that there is a group of detectives who are reopening the Unidentified Student Murder cold case from fourteen years ago. The shock of it all is that you already identified who that poor victim was."

  


"Um… yes… well… yes," Keigo cleared his throat once again.

  


"Poor Kim-senpai," the woman sighed deeply. "Well, I stopped by here to see your progress with the cold case."

  


"Well, we barely started. We're still collecting evidence and doing some analysis on certain spots and scenes of the old archives floor… where the body was found fourteen years ago."

  


"I see." The woman nodded, then reached for her purse and handed Keigo a business card. "This is from my older brother, the current dean of the HSS field. His name is Hayato Isohata."

  


Keigo accepted the business card and gazed at it. "Hayato Isohata, Dean of the History and Social Science Field Department, Mirukan Royal Academy. Thank you. But… he knows something about the case? We haven't really announced this to the entire faculty."

  


"I know, I was told to keep it very discreet," the woman nodded. "But, the reason why I'm volunteering this business card to you because…"

  


"Yes?"

  


"My brother, Hayato-nii, was one of Yundong Kim's best friends during their high school years here at Mirukan Royal Academy. He's been very silent and introverted for so many years since that incident. I can share you what I know, but I think it's best for you to arrange an appointment with him and interview him. Maybe he'll finally open up and give him hope to… live as the same cheerful, enthusiastic person he always was. Whatever you do, Hayato-nii is in your hands."

  


Keigo gave a perplexed look, as the woman continued to step back. "Thank you for taking your time to… talk to me. It's been years…"

  


"Eh? Years? Wait—" Just as Keigo was about to ask more questions, the woman bowed out.

  


"I'm sorry, I have to prepare for class. Thank you for your time."

  


"Wait a minute, Sensei!" Keigo called out, as the teacher made her way to her class. The detective felt abandoned, sighing, as he turned back to their patio table.

  


Once he arrived, he handed the business card to Kosuke. "Ah, she was beautiful… I've never seen such simple but very classy beauty… reminds me of how much we should all appreciate Mirukanian women all over the empire—"

  


Era suddenly slapped her brother on the head, with Keigo yelping in pain. "Bro, do you have selective memory or something? You don't remember her?"

  


"Huh? That pretty teacher earlier? Was I supposed to know her?" Heechon found himself chortling, while Kosuke and Mion shook their heads. "Come on, give me a hint! Maybe I'll remember."

  


Kosuke gazed at the business card. "Hayato Isohata, huh. I've never heard of him but I am familiar with _Isohata_. He's the current dean of HSS, I see. Yundong Kim was an HSS student… and so were you, Heechon."

  


Heechon nodded, sipping on his coffee. "Yep. She was in the same homeroom class as me. I have to agree with Keigo though, she really transformed into such beauty."

  


"Iso… hata…?" Keigo murmured to himself. "Where have I heard that surname from? Ugh, why does Mirukan Royal Academy have such diverse family names? It's not fair! I heard of Isohata but I don't remember anyone with that last name!"

  


"Yep. Selective memory," Mion nodded, with Era sighing.

  


"Aw, come on, guys!" Keigo pouted. "For once in my life I'm finally gonna get serious when it comes to women! I mean— who knows when I'll ever see that gorgeous teacher again!"

  


"Oh, I don't know," Heechon snickered, "from the looks of it from earlier, she's backing away from you."

  


"Eh? But why? I'm the most harmless, less intimidating among us Raira Bros!"

  


"Even until today, I still feel sorry for her," Heechon continued, relaxing with his legs cross.

  


"Not even a clue?"

  


"Man, you're really bad at remembering things, especially with people, Keigo," Era shook her head. "If you really want a clue, let's just say, she was the most sincere and worthy among all the girls who confessed to you throughout the entire three years as high school students in this campus."

  


"Eh?" Keigo scratched his head. "She… confessed to me… before?"

  


"Dude, you really need to look at our old yearbooks and look for a girl in HSS whose last name is Isohata," Mion laughed. "Just look at the reference section at the library to check out the collected yearbooks—"

  


Kosuke gasped, snapping his fingers. "That's it!"

  


"Eh? What's going on, Yasu-nii?" Era asked curiously.

  


"Why didn't I think of this before?" He smiled and turned to the others. "Eventually, we don't have much to investigate in the old archives basement except for that lock and trapdoor, in which the historic society experts will still be working on. We can check out the reference section of the library and find the yearbooks in which Yundong Kim was a student here. From there, we can list down all of the students in HSS from fourteen years ago, narrow the names down to a few who may be on the same homeroom class as Yundong Kim, and then we can try to reach out to them for questioning. Anything that they can remember about Yundong Kim will greatly help us with the investigation."

  


"Well, for now," Mion pointed, "you got a business card from Isohata-sensei belonging to her older brother, the current Dean of HSS. Maybe we should set up an appointment with him first?"

  


"I'll take care of Dean Isohata with making an appointment," Kosuke called out. "But during questioning, I'm going to need both you and Keigo present. Whatever Dean Isohata may reveal to us may even help you find Yundong Kim's spirit around campus somehow."

  


"Got it," Mion acknowledged.

  


Keigo quickly nodded. "Um, yeah. Okay. Ugh, now I can't get her out of my mind…"

  


"Get your head in the game, Keigo," Kosuke smacked Keigo at the back of the head once more, with Keigo yelping and rubbing his head gently. "This ain't no time to recall high school memories."

  


"Right, sorry."

  


Era spoke her duties in the meantime. "I'm almost done reviewing the evidence the graveyard crew collected from last night. Once I'm done, I'm heading back to 34SN-B and have the RC-15 detectives take a look at them."

  


"Don't forget to bug Lin for any results from those blood tests as well," Kosuke reminded.

  


"Will do, Captain!"

* * *

  


### MIRUKAN ROYAL ACADEMY (Dean of HSS's Office - Present, 12:30 p.m.)

  


Hours ago, Kosuke was able to set up an appointment with the mysterious teacher's older brother, the current Dean of History and Social Science Field Department named Hayato Isohata. The dean had various phone conferences and meetings during the mornings and was finally free during lunch period. He wanted to have the questioning done before the end of the school day, as he also was scheduled to appear at the upcoming seminar that Younghoon was presenting. An average-height, casual aura man who looked a lot younger than his age and a lot more fragile-looking than your average adult man, he invited the detectives in his office and closed the door behind.

  


He welcomed the Rairas with enthusiasm, as he was already informed by his younger sister about their covert investigation of a cold case that involved his friend's demise. Once the dean sat on his seat and the detectives take their seats at the circular meeting table, phone recorders, notepads, and pens ready, he began his own testimony.

  


"It's been fourteen years since I've lost all of my friends and pretty much lost everything," Hayato deeply sighed. "I reported this missing persons' case several times to the police, but they wouldn't even give an ear to a mere high school student. I even identified the so-called unidentified student, but they refused to take my statement. Even the faculty of this school and my own classmates even denied everything I've reported, thinking that I was at my usual delusional self when I know I"m fine."

  


"I'm sorry to hear that, Dean Isohata," Kosuke apologized on behalf. "I mean, we were still really young at the time this unidentified student murder case occurred. I was supposed to be part of this plan with Yundong and the rest of the guys, but… let's just say, I wasn't the healthiest student at that time."

  


"Not healthy? How so?"

  


"I was born anemic," Hayato opened up. "Of course, I'm fine now because of the latest medical technology and treatments and that I'm sitting on this seat today, but when I was younger, I was one of the weakest students in this school. I wanted to enter LEF, but my parents were too worried about my well-being, as LEF also involves a lot of physical conditioning and training too, such as self-defense and survival. Therefore, I ended up entering HSS instead. I was very passionate about the Mirukan Empire's politics myself, but my condition was holding me back. I still plan on entering the Imperial Council, but for the time being, I'm overseeing the History and Social Science Field Department in this alma mater."

  


"So," Kosuke continued with the questioning, as Keigo and Mion continued on taking notes, "you said there were more of you besides Yundong Kim?"

  


"There were seven of us: Ginsuke Nakagawa, Sho Fukuchi, Minhyuk Lee, Ryuto Iwasaki, Ryunosuke Nakano, Yundong, and myself. Yundong and Minhyuk Lee were originally both from Hangingake. The rest of us, Mirukanians. Just like almost every single student here at Mirukan Royal Academy, all of us are from high nobility. A few of us even have distant family ties to our own royal families. But all seven of us were progressive thinkers and were highly immersed in philosophy. Back then, the alliances between the Empire of Mirukan and the Kingdom of Hangingake were brand-new, and the alliance was such a huge big deal. It was the Empire's biggest hope in finally defeating their rival empire, the Empire of Monrovia."

  


Mion and Keigo gasped and turned to one another, as Kosuke cleared his throat. "Was Mirukan back then wanted to declare war against Monrovia? If that have happened, the Border Region of Mirukan would've been non-existent now and all of us would be dead!"

  


"Ginsuke and Ryuto were cousins, and they're also distant relatives to the empress."

  


"Empress Maira?" Mion asked curiously.

  


Hayato shook his head. "No, Empress Himawari, the first wife of the emperor and the original empress of Mirukan. As you all know by now, she was assassinated."

  


"From some of the journals we retrieved and read— Yundong Kim's journals, that is, he mentioned something about the Seibara, namely the Inner Seibara, getting mixed up with some controversy that no one in public knows about. The assassination of Empress Himawari, the involvement of the Inner Seibara, and what else?" Kosuke continued, scratching this head. "Yundong was going to pass on information to the Shouran Rebels?"

  


"The founders of the Shouran Rebellion were former high-ranked Imperial Councilmembers when Empress Himawari was in charge of the council. When she was assassinated and soon Emperor Raiou married Empress Maira, most of them were replaced with her own people. From then on, Mirukan's glory had been dwindling. There have been conspiracy theories that I've heard from my own family, as well as their allies, that there was another royal family who wanted the empress seat, so they can sway Emperor Raiou to antagonizing potential allied kingdoms, but at the same time, will be weakened so that the Empire of Monrovia can strike at any time and cripple our homes and lands. Of course, everything was speculation."

  


"Emperor Raiou used to be a wiser, kinder man and a steadfast ruler. But ever since Empress Maira took over the empress seat, it's as if the emperor had been easily influenced by the wrong forces." He paused for a bit and sipped on his cup of tea. "We were only eight to ten, mere elementary school students, when Empress Himawari was assassinated at the palace courtyard, which was why this issue has been brought out."

  


Right then, Hayato shook his head, and sipped on his tea once more. "I'm sorry, Detectives. I'm probably mumbling out of my mind right now. My youth… my friends… even until now, it's just too much to take in."

  


"Let's take it slow, Dean Isohata," Kosuke calmed him down. "Let's start from the easiest questions and we'll talk about everything else right after."

  


"Alright," Hayato nodded in agreement.

  


"Going back fourteen years ago, when was the last time you made contact… or at least saw… Yundong Kim? And, to be on the safe side, what about your other friends?"

  


Hayato began to ponder with his eyes closed. "We were at the Muyoudake Grove, right near the Yuurei Lake."

  


"The lake?!" Keigo gasped. "You mean the lake that was located way deep into the Muyoudake Grove?"

  


Hayato nodded, "Yes, that particular lake."

  


"So, that lake has a name… eerie name though…" Mion muttered and jotted the name _Yuurei Lake_ in her notes.

  


"During our time, the Muyoudake Grove was a popular relaxation spot for all students and faculty. There was a legend with the lake, that when you speak to the waters of all your troubles, you will be relieved of stress in no time. The spirits of the lake will judge your true character, and based on that character, if you have a clean conscience, you will bring immerse luck and success in your future life. So they say."

  


"Yundong believed that his father, now the current Cardinal of the Hangingake sect of the Inner Seibara, may be there, and wanted to confront him about their secret meetings and even secret rituals that take place at that lake. But then, things suddenly went wrong…"

  


"There were forces— ghastly forces— that suddenly surrounded the area near the lake. If you're thinking right now about us, none of us are reishou. Even the average human can see them. Because of my anemia, somewhere there, I fainted. The next thing I knew, I ended up at the hospital with my family surrounding me. They said that I've been unconscious for weeks! Once I finally caught up with the times, I even read the old newspapers. Right there, I saw his school photo— Yundong's photo only identified as 'unnamed student.'

  


"I was in shock! There weren't any reports of Ginsuke, Sho, Minhyuk, Ryuto, and Ryunosuke mentioned in the newspapers. I even tried calling their families to see if I can keep in touch with them. However, none of the families would even cooperate with me. None of them even informed me if those guys were still alive or they were killed along with Yundong. The next thing I knew, I was told by the doctors that I was being delusional and insane, probably because of my weeks-long coma, that they suggested that I should recover at the mental institution because of it.

  


"And what's more? The Yamabe Raid. It really pained me to read about it also. There were so many questions running through my head, I didn't even know where to start. My father, also a distinguished councilman himself, would not even volunteer me any information about what happened, and what's worse? The imperial government did nothing to aid the Yamabe townsfolk who lost their homes and their families and loved ones! Even my own family lost faith in my own sanity then. They put me on house arrest for almost two years until I was, as they say, back to normal again. The good thing about being at house arrest then was that around that time, there was huge progress in the medical field and the doctors were able to cure my childhood anemia.

  


"Once I got well, I started going back to school again, finished my last year as an HSS student, then was admitted to Mirukan University and double-majored in both HSS and LEF, so I can both understand the current laws, how they are interpreted and enforced, and do a lot more research regarding the roots of our current laws." He paused for a moment and took a deep breath.

  


"I swore to myself that I'll do everything I can to restore the honor of Yundong and the rest of our friends from this injustice. The police would not help me then, my own family, even my friends' families. Even Yundong's own family at Hangingake pretended we've never met. The only ones who provided me with comfort and aid was Yundong's uncle and his family, who now run an Outer Seibara temple in the Border Region, but even they have no clue about what happened to them."

  


_Heechon's family_ , Kosuke thought to himself. He made a note to also go back and interview Heechon's family once more regarding Dean Isohata's testimony. "Well, on behalf of the Imperial Police, we apologize. We may be years younger than you and Yundong Kim and your friends, but we're here now."

  


"And I thank you for that. It would have been an honor to meet you Rairas when you were still students here at Mirukan Royal Academy, but unfortunately, I was under house arrest at that time. My sister have spoken a lot about you."

  


Keigo nervously smiled, as Mion and Kosuke nodded at the dean. "We thank her also for passing on your business card to us," Mion answered. "We really appreciate it."

  


"No, thank you," Hayato sighed in relief. "If you have any more questions, I'll do my best to answer them. Just contact me when you can."

  


"Ah, yes," Kosuke nodded. "Do you have an idea what Yundong was going to expose regarding the Inner Seibara and that lake area at the Muyoudake to the Shouran Rebels?"

  


"A little bit, but I don't know any details. It's mainly about the strange unholy rituals that some of the high clergy have been practicing that involves reishou sacrifice at the grounds near Yuurei Lake. We had to sneak and spy on them past midnight at the Muyoudake, take any sort of footage from audio recordings to video when we can, but because of what I just described and my poor health made me faint, I don't know anything else about it."

  


"I see. That's unfortunate," Kosuke sighed.

  


"But wait," Hayato gasped in realization. "You said all three of you are reishou tantei, yes? Do you plan on summoning Yundong's spirit and interview him?"

  


"If Yundong's spirit hasn't ascended to the heavens yet," Mion answered, "and still remains a wandering spirit today, then yes, we'll eventually interview him. We still have to find phantasmic traces of his spirit around the grounds here. There are a few things that we are waiting on before we can start doing that."

  


"Then… if any of my friends have been killed that night," Hayato became desperate, "would you be able to summon their spirits too?"

  


Keigo shook his head. "We would need an Elite Class reishou to do that. The majority of the active reishou tantei today are all General and Central class. Inspector Captain Raira here is general class. Mion and I are central class. Every single active reishou tantei are registered under the LJB, but according to the LJB director, there's no reishou tantei active who's above Central Class, unfortunately. For now, we'll go with our own abilities and hopefully we can find something without searching around the world for any living Elite Class reishou."

  


"Oh no, that's too bad," Hayato frowned. "I heard that even Elite Class reishou would have the power to travel back to time and witness the events that happened through the spirit they make contact with?"

  


"It's a very awesome, overwhelming power to do that, don't you think?" Kosuke mentioned. "Solving complex cold cases would be so much easier if we had any Elite Class reishou tantei in our forces, you know? Well, we'll not worry about that and, like Detective Keigo said, we'll just go with what we have."

  


"I understand." Right then, Hayato stood up and headed to his file cabinet. He unlocked one of the drawers and out came an aged-looking dark red yearbook that had Mirukan Royal Academy emblem on it. The year indicated was that from fourteen years ago. He returned to the desk and handed the yearbook to the detectives.

  


"You won't find a copy of this yearbook in the library, like the rest of the yearbooks," Hayato noted. "It made no sense why there are certain yearbooks that don't have any copies for the library reference section, but this one, I believe, may be something you may need for the investigation."

  


Kosuke placed the yearbook in a plastic bag and then in his backpack. "Thank you very much for lending us your yearbook. We'll return to you immediately when we're done with it."

  


"Take your time. All I want right now is that justice is served in the honor of Yundong and our friends."

  


### 

  


### MIRUKAN ROYAL ACADEMY (Police Canopies Area/Library - 1:30 p.m.)

  


The detectives were surprised to see Lin present at the police canopies area when Era returned from bringing the evidence box the graveyard shift detectives collected last night. On the other hand, for the Raira Siblings, seeing Lin in person rather than receiving a text or phone call meant he has something to report to them. None of them have eaten lunch yet, and they can all feel the hunger pangs growling inside them.

  


"In about thirty minutes, that seminar is about to begin," Heechon reminded them, indicating that Younghoon already left to prepare for the seminar. The fourth expert who was to replace him for the duration of this time, Taichi Kihara, still hasn't arrived yet. "I feel we'd be more at ease if we eat lunch at the cafeteria while everyone is focused on attending that seminar."

  


"Those royals will be arriving soon," Kise reminded them. "So far we haven't made much progress regarding the lock, so I think we should all take a breather."

  


Kosuke nodded in agreement. "Take as much breaks as you need. We're not here to overwork you. I understand you all have your own work to take care of as well."

  


"No," Heechon shook his head. "This cold case concerns my family, so I'm taking a break from my own project and focus on this first." He sighed and rested his back against his seat. "My parents have been anxious about this cold case since you came and interviewed them. Yundong was like their adopted son. My older brothers can relate, but I couldn't, sadly." He reached for his water tumbler and took a sip of water. "I couldn't say anything about Yundong to my family, but with whatever help I can provide, especially with his lock issue, I'm hoping I can get to know him more myself."

  


Mion sighed. "Heechon-senpai, there has to be a way for a wandering spirit to be able to communicate with a normal living human. There's still a lot of mysteries regarding the reishou, I'm afraid."

  


"There is actually a class a lot higher than the Elite Class, to be exact," Kise joined in and making her statement. "Low key, I've been studying about the reishou myself and understand their origins a lot more from an average human perspective. But, according to some ancient texts I came up with from scattered Outer Seibara temples around the Border Region, there is a class that is so rare, it's pretty much non-existent."

  


"Oh?" Keigo asked curiously. "I'm curious, what's that?"

  


"The legendary reishou class is its own classification by itself: the _Reibaishi_." The two Central Class reishou tantei turned to each other with curiosity as Kise continued to explain.

  


"The legend of the _Reibashi_ is just that… a legend. There have been several ancient documents that were stored in the Holy Seibara Library at the Royal Capital that speaks of the Reibashi. What sets them apart from the Elite Class reishou is that they can actually revive the dead back to life—"

  


"Eh?!" The detectives exclaimed in shock, as Heechon joined in the conversation.

  


"My father actually told my brothers and I the story of Reibashi. That was it though, just a story. I didn't know they were even mentioned at the Holy Library documents though. Basically, the Reibashi are Elite Class reishou who has the powers and means to raise the dead back to life. However, Seibara scriptures, both the Inner and Outer denominations, believe that the Reibashi are forbidden because they believe that Reibashi may raise up spirits who may have become demons, and when they raise a spirit who became a demon, well… you know what happens."

  


"Yeah, I don't want to hear the rest of the story, Heechon-senpai," Keigo frowned, crossing his arms.

  


"And when they see one," Heechon continued, "they have to execute and burn them on the stake, along with some prayers to call the gods and take their spirits to their heavenly realm," Heechon sipped more on his water. "But it's only in ancient literature. There was no legal records that anyone born or chosen to become Reibashi actually existed."

  


Kise nodded in agreement. "That's what I discovered too during my studies, Heechon-senpai. However, I did discover something as well. Elite Class reishou are as rare as you think. Even until today, no one was recorded in the legal records that there are anyone among us in this world are Elite Class reishou. But, going back on subject, I also discovered that Elite Class reishou may even gain so much power by the way they use their current existing ones that there is a high possibility that an Elite Class reishou may get promoted up to be a Reibashi—"

  


Immediately, Kosuke spat out his water right after drinking from his bottle. He coughed to clear his throat, while Era hands him a napkin. "Ugh… thanks. Sorry."

  


"Are you okay, Yasu-niki?" Era asked curiously, as Kosuke nodded.

  


"Sorry about this… but I can't believe that there's even a reishou that's way higher than Elite Class. Being able to communicate with wandering spirits is one thing. Raising up someone from the dead and be alive again in the land of living is another. But, as you stated, Heechon- senpai, this is all but a legend passed on for generations."

  


"We're already recorded as reishou tantei in the legal records," Mion indicated. "But I wonder if the government actually has all individuals recorded."

  


"I don't think so, Mion," Kosuke shook his head. "Remember, even though there is royalty and high nobility throughout the empire, they are in danger if they discover that they're reishou. For those who truly care about their loved ones and are willing to go against religious teaching, they will not register them as reishou, even if they're the low-leveled General Class reishou like us." 

  


"There is one thing about the Reibashi," Heechon continued, sighing. "Another reason why the Reibashi are very dangerous from the eyes of the Seibara. Reibashi can also detect a reishou including an Elite Class reishou from the nearest distance. Reibashi can either be good or evil, and well… Reibashi can be very powerful that no one knows what's on their minds at that time. Some documents even said that Reibashi and reishou are enemies, however, the only ones who can battle against Reibashi are Elite Class reishou. Again, legends. No proof or recordings whatsoever that neither reibashi nor Elite Class reishou actually existed, so hopefully, we shouldn't think about these things right now."

  


Right then, Kosuke changed the subject immediately. "Hm, right. Anyway, we got no time to ponder about all these things."

  


He turned immediately at Lin, who was found playing one of his favorite mobile games on his phone. "Lin-niki, you're here. You got something, I assume?"

  


Lin quickly placed his phone down and cleared his throat. "Yah. I already sent an email with attachments of the results, Yasu. I want you to review it first before you release it in the open."

  


Kosuke reached for his phone to check the email. He noticed that he still has a huge number of unread email on his Inbox, but he found Lin's email and began reading it to himself. Everyone fell silent, waiting for him to reveal the results from the blood.

  


"So, the RC-15 detectives found the old DNA results from the evidence box," Kosuke answered as he read through the attached documents. "Huh… this has become a lot more complicated than ever…"

  


Lin nodded slowly. "The bloodstains didn't come from a single person. It came from a multiple number of people. But one of those DNA extracted did match the old DNA results that came from that unidentified student. But yeah, that was it."

  


"Since we already know that unidentified student was Yundong, more or less," Kosuke concluded, "that means there must have been a struggle of some sort that lead to his demise, most likely. Still, Mirukan records don't have much information about the vital profiles of foreigners who recently moved or currently working or studying here. We have to have consent from Yundong's family to release his vital profile so that we can check the unidentified student's DNA and see if it matches Yundong's own DNA."

  


Keigo pointed his thumb towards Heechon. "Can't Heechon-senpai sign the consent on behalf of Yundong's family, since he's Yundong's cousin and all?"

  


Heechon shook his head. "Both Mirukan and Hangingake have the same confidential rules, even with immigrants. If we were the only family Yundong has, then yes, I'll be able to give consent myself to release his vital profile. However, his parents are still alive, and it has to be from the immediate family. Too bad his sister died before he did years ago and it will be difficult to reach his parents because they are high profile citizens and an influential name to the Hangingakean Inner Seibara congregation. We even have to travel to Hangingake to get them to provide written consent in person to have either one release Yundong's vital profile."

  


"Well, damn," Keigo frowned, crossing his arms.

  


"We'll talk about that at a later time," Kosuke reminded. "Lin-niki, can you provide us what you and the K-15 detectives found from that bloodstained journal?"

  


Lin sighed, then turned to his sister. "First of all, Mion, I know this is about your first unrequited love and all, but you're not that naive high school student anymore. You're a detective, a reishou tantei even. You'll need to hear this and not get your own personal emotions mixed in."

  


Mion nodded. "Sorry about last night. Yeah, just thinking about Yundong just breaks my heart again… but I'm in my game now."

  


"Good," Lin nodded. He looked back at his phone again, looked through his files, then began to read. "Last night, Urano stopped reading the old autopsy report as his way of showing his respect for your feelings, Mion. However, earlier today, we had him read to us the entire autopsy report again, out loud, at the forensics lab. There _was_ a reason why Yundong was not identified by anyone immediately when his body was found fourteen years ago."

  


He gulped, as everyone fell silent, waiting for Lin to continue. "When his body was found at the old archives basement of the library, he was found bagged in a rather sophisticated-woven heavy bag made of special cloth. We found the bag in the evidence box as well, so you can examine that later when we're done here. But, continuing. When the bag was found and unopened, there were blood stained inside the lining of the bag, and then, the worst came." He cleared his throat, then gazed at Mion.

  


"Continue, Lin-niki," Mion insisted with a stern expression on her face.

  


"Alright," Lin nodded. "His face was completely skinned, nothing but exposed, dried, inner flesh. It was way too gruesome, even through old, outdated photos that was included there. However, the skinning was very clean… as if… well, we all concluded that his face was skinned right after he was killed. Since a dagger of some sort was concluded as one of the murder weapons because of the stab wounds, there may be a third murder weapon as well— the one that was used for the skinning. Because the skinning was very clean, the autopsy report also concluded that the body was drained first before they skinned him. The blood stained inside the bag was pretty minimal. It's not very blood-soaked, but there was blood in there. Very, very clean… gruesome… barbaric… but clean."

  


Everyone still remained silent, swallowing while taking their time to take everything in from Lin's reporting. Right then, they spotted Heechon's head lowered against the table surface. Kise turned to his colleague.

  


"Heechon-senpai… Are you alright?"

  


Heechon slowly lifted his head, with a tear falling from his right eye. "My parents… wanted me to talk to them about the case… but I can't, for the sake of covert and confidentiality. But hearing what those bastards did to my cousin… ah, it really hurts taking that in… it's too painful…"

  


"And also… against the law…" Kosuke approached Heechon and patted him on the shoulder. "Mirukan has a law regarding any harm to any family member of the Seibara clergy, Inner or Outer. If harmed and apprehended, it's an automatic death penalty, even if the perpetrators are clergy members themselves." He paused and took a breath. "We'll find these bastards who did this to your cousin, Heechon. That's an oath we're taking right now as reishou tantei. We'll bring these bastards to justice and restore honor to Yundong and your family."

  


Heechon nodded quickly, as he wiped his eyes. "Thank you, Captain Yasu. I believe in all of you. I want to take an oath as well— besides the lock, my office will always be open to anything that you need, whether from historic records to my family."

  


"Okay," Kosuke nodded, then turned to the rest of the group. "Lin-niki, one thing that's been bothering me regarding Yundong's autopsy report is that nothing's mentioned about what they've done with the body after it was examined."

  


"Yeah, that's one problem," Lin frowned. "When the CME was just concluding his findings and examination of the faceless, skinless body, it disappeared somehow, so now, it's considered missing."

  


Mion shook her head, sighing deeply. "This must be the main reason why Yundong is a wandering spirit then." She placed her hands into her khaki blazer pockets. "Not only those monsters did his body wrong after he was killed, his body also went missing and was not given a proper burial."

  


"And not just that, Mion," Lin added, "because the body was stolen from the CME's office, we may not even know if the autopsy report from fourteen years ago was complete or not. The CME may not have even be finished with the body too."

  


"I wonder why his body went missing then…" Era pondered. "The only explanation I could think of is because maybe there's something on his body that the culprits didn't want the CME to find. Maybe a huge feature on his body that can lead and identify to the killer… or killers."

  


"Let's assume that's the case, Era," Kosuke agreed. "Looks like we've got a lot of work to do that would kill our wait time before the grand ball. However, I still want this entire library area taped off as is and police patrolling the area so we don't have any trespassers snooping around the area too. I'll have Inspector Captain Tanabe arrange that later."

  


Right then, the main clock tower of the academy sounded off, which was also the indicator that the school day was over and the students are now dismissed to close the day. The clock bell startled many of the police officers, as the detectives and experts swallowed their nervousness.

  


"So, are we done investigating for the day, Yasu-niki?" Keigo asked curiously. "I thought we'll take advantage of the seminar hours, where everyone will be attending?"

  


"We are," Kosuke nodded. "We need to eat lunch first anyway. You and Mion still have the Muyoudake Grove to investigate, remember?"

  


"Ah, right," Keigo nodded.

  


Kosuke reminded the patrolling police officers that they will be having lunch at the school cafeteria around the same time as the students and faculty lining up outside the auditorium hall, where the seminar will be taking place. The supervisor of the patrolling officers also reminded Kosuke that very soon, the next shift of police officers will arrive in about 45 minutes to replace them.

  


Right then, Kosuke felt his phone vibrate and reached for it. The screen flashed _Kimata_ , and answered it.

  


"Kimata, what's up?"

  


_"Captain Yasu, thank goodness! We got a bit of a problem."_

  


Kosuke sighed deeply. "Again?"

  


*"I'm at the campus right now at the gym. I stopped by the nearest convenience store to buy a few toiletries for Mame and his friends who are now attending their new student orientation. Apparently, Mame called me earlier letting me know that the campus dorms no longer provide complimentary toiletries and they didn't bring any."

  


"What the hell happened to this school? Were they losing money or something that they decided to skimp on free toiletries for new students? We had really nice free toiletries when we started school here seven years ago."

  


*"Yeah, unfortunately. But that's not why I called. We got a bit of a problem after receiving a call from the LJB director. He said he tried reaching you and even sent you emails and texts earlier. But anyway, the academy chancellor invited the Royal Family to come by the library area and give the area blessings for a successful demolition and construction. There's even a local Inner Seibara priest who will lead the blessing rite too. After the seminar is finished, they'll be heading down there where you guys are to do the rite."

  


Kosuke's eyes widened in shock. "Say what…? Wait a bit, Kimata." 

  


_"The Construction Blessing Rite. You know how Seibarans are into that whole thing - bless the house you just moved in, bless the car you bought, bless your first artwork you made, it's the same thing."_

  


Kosuke scratched his head. "Why can't they wait until we're done here?"

  


_"Unfortunately, even the LBJ director couldn't go against the Seibara clergy's request. Because the Hangingake Royal Family are here too to give support to their sons, Crown Prince Ruki and Crown Prince Shosei, for the upcoming grand ball, it was the perfect opportunity to have all four princes to give blessings along with the priest's prayers. They're alumni to this school as well. I envy you that you and the deputies ended up in the same class as the crown princes, Captain Yasu."_

  


"Yeah, whatever," Kosuke muttered.

  


_"Mame and his friend Masanami Aoki are with me right now. They wanted to visit you before they attend the seminar with Dr. Jeon, so we're approaching your way."_

  


"Alright, Kimata. We'll wait for you here. In the meantime, it's better we start cleaning up in our canopy area before anyone else gets suspicious."

  


_"The LBJ director also said to you to trust the crown princes in this situation. They want you detectives gone from the premises before they arrive and do the blessing. They'll make sure that they continue delaying the demolition until you're all finished investigating there."_

  


"Thank goodness. Alright, we'll see you then."

  


After the phone call, Kosuke returned to the canopies. "Alright, for the time being, we're done. We'll just pass on where we left off to the graveyard crew. Maybe Inoue, Okano, and Sasaki would have a better result in their investigation later tonight."

  


Mion suddenly raised her hand. "A request, Yasu-niki?"

  


"What's up, Mion?"

  


"Keigo and I would also like to work the graveyard shift tonight." Keigo nodded with his sister in agreement.

  


"You two need rest for tomorrow, why do you both want to work tonight?"

  


Keigo crossed his arms. "It's namely because of the Witching Hour. We want to see ourselves what the graveyard detectives have seen with that trapdoor. Maybe we can finally use our two-year reishou training from the university days in this situation."

  


"We'll talk about it later. For the time being, I'll meet up with Kimata, Mame, and his friend Aoki-kun. I do have an assignment for the both of you."

  


"You do? What's that?" Mion asked.

  


"When everyone's eyes are at the crown princes and the seminar in about fifteen minutes, we'll be eating lunch. Right after lunch, I want the both of you start investigating the Muyoudake and that border that was drawn across that intersection. Maybe we'll finally see what kind of wall we're dealing with here."

  


"Got it," Keigo nodded.

  


Kosuke turned to Heechon and Kise. "Thanks for all your help, guys. Sorry we have to end our day investigation early because of this demolition blessing crap."

  


"Not a problem, Captain Yasu. We're glad to help," Kise smiled.

  


"Yes," Heechon nodded. "Thank you for everything. Soon my entire family will finally have a peace of mind with Yundong and this cold case."

  


"Also, Heechon-senpai," Kosuke added. "If you don't mind letting your father know that we request another interview with him. It doesn't have to be tomorrow, but if he can set the perfect day for us to meet with him, that would be grateful."

  


Heechon smiled, nodding. "Of course. I'll do that."

  


Right then, they began to pack up their references, materials, evidences collected, and more. Later on, the seminar at the auditorium began.

* * *

  


###  _From Inspector Captain Kosuke Raira's Quick Notes_

  


The historic society experts (Heechon, Kise, Dr. Jeon) assisted in Day 2 investigation. They also gave us more insight about the reishou and their mysterious presences in this world. Keigo and Mion may have already been familiar with this, since they're the ones who had to undergo special training back in the university days, but this is all new to general class reishou like myself.

  


The official classifications of different reishou existing in this world are the following:

  


**GENERAL CLASS**  
  
Reishou who can see wandering ghosts, but unable to communicate with them. They use a special form of sign language to communicate with wandering spirits. Using talismans, General Class reishou are able to ward off malevolent spirits with the proper incantations, otherwise, talismans are useless against them. Most of the reishou population belong to this class. Because the General Class aren't as sensitive with phantasmic auras, a seemingly normal human being they see on the spot may be a ghost without even knowing that they're actually dead. They only find out later through the ghost's clues or that their less sensitive powers start to detect that the person they're communicating with is an actual ghost.

  


COLLEAGUES/FRIENDS: Lin, Era, myself

  


**CENTRAL CLASS**  
  
Reishou who can see and communicate with wandering ghosts orally. Unlike general class reishou, Central Class reishou are very sensitive to the presence of ghosts, spirits, and any malevolent forces unseen by the naked eye. They are able to trace phantasmic presence nearby without seeing the beings first and are able to warn that there are supernatural forces lingering in the area. Using talismans, Central Class can ward off malevolent spirits, except they use their own powers and no need to memorize any incantations to activate the talismans. However, detecting if a normal human being is either a living being or a ghost is almost the same as that of the general class. The only thing is that Central Class reishou can determine a ghost quicker than that of General Class.

  


COLLEAGUES/FRIENDS: Keigo, Mion, and the graveyard undercover RC-15 detectives (Minato Inoue, Kaito Okano, Mao Sasaki)

  


**GRAND CLASS**  
  
Reishou who has the same abilities as Central Class in terms of detecting and communicating with ghosts, but unlike both General Class and Central Class, Grand Class are able to ward and even vanquish malevolent spirits through special spells and powers. However, they are also vulnerable to spirit possession and have no control on the spirits possessing them and may cause danger to anyone nearby. And because of their sensitivity level towards ghosts and any invisible malevolent being, they can easily detect a seemingly normal human being as a ghost right on the spot. According to ancient documents, Grand Class reishou's weaknesses was the main reason why the Seibara religion (at least, the Inner Seibara denomination anyway) believe that reishou born or chosen from the high nobility or royalty must be sacrificed to the Seibara gods in order to prevent them from causing destruction and rule over the world with malicious agendas (dumb claim IMO but I won't say the ancients believed and recorded in a lot of BS…).

  


Grand Class reishou are also able to detect a fellow reishou from any class, but only at a somewhat short distance.

  


Luckily, this is a rare class, and chances are of meeting or encountering one is very small.

  


COLLEAGUES/FRIENDS: ???

  


**ELITE CLASS**  
  
Reishou who has the same abilities as Grand Class reishou which also includes possession vulnerability. However, they are a lot more powerful in terms of warding and vanquishing malevolent spirits. Rather than using special spells, Elite Class reishou will use its own inherited powers without the need of chanting spells. They are also able to call forth ghosts who have already been ascended to the heavens or passed on to the spirit world. Elite Class reishou can also detect a seemingly normal being as a ghost right on the spot, just like the Grand Class reishou. They are also able to detect other fellow reishou from the furthest distance (further than those of the Grand Class) and also act as rescuers to fallen or disoriented reishou.

  


In addition to that, using the testimonies of the wandering spirits being interviewed, Elite Class reishou can also send themselves and other reishou (all classes) back in time to witness the actual account of incidents that happened and possibly intervene to change the events to prevent something from happening in the present (no record of this happening yet), but can be very risky. Elite Class reishou are more vulnerable to spirit possession, but can also control the spirits possessing them, becoming a lot lesser danger than of the Grand Class reishou. However, because of this, Elite Class reishou are a lot more dangerous than the Grand Class reishou, as the spirits possessing them may also influence them into sharing the same agenda as theirs. Like the Grand Class, Elite Class were also the main reason why reishou of high nobility or royalty must be "sacrificed" to the Seibara gods.

  


Another powerful asset that the Elite Class reishou have is they also act as a bridge for wandering spirits to be able to contact with normal humans. However, the only way for this to be possible is to have the Elite Class reishou be open to possession by the spirit. This is why for spirit possessions, Elite Class reishou are the most capable of being able to act as a bridge.

  


NOTE: The word "sacrifice" can mean anything. There weren't any official records on the names of individuals that the Seibara clergy "sacrificed. Most people think that "sacrifice" meant "they will be slaughtered at some altar with prayers" or something, but according to Heechon (whose family is Outer Seibara clergy and used to be Inner Seibara), "sacrifice" doesn't necessarily mean slaughtering the poor chosen victim. "Sacrifice" can also sound a lot more sinister than murder. (What else is a lot worse than murder though???)

  


COLLEAGUES/FRIENDS: I know someone, but will not write his name here, for security purposes

  


**REIBASHI**  
  
Reibashi is the highest classification of all levels of reishou, however, according to Heechon, the Reibashi class may not exist at all and only appeared in old folktales. Kise stated that the reibashi are no longer reishou, and that they are a whole different kind of ghost whisperers. In fact, they're not just ghost whisperers, they're also necromancers as well— they're able to rise the dead using their own powers. However, necromancy is a very dangerous and maliciously evil that this practice is also forbidden to Seibara theology (both Inner and Outer), as they fear that reibashi may also have sinister agendas and can also bring back demons vanquished or put to sleep all at once. When a reibashi is captured, they are needed to be eliminated immediately.

  


NOTE: Heechon and Kise may have different opinions regarding the Reibashi. Heechon believes the reibashi are myth, but Kise also stated that reibashi are the rarest of all types of reishou, and it was written that reibashi can also be a promotional class from the Elite Class reishou. When Elite Class reishou become very powerful, depending on how they use their own powers, they can actually get elevated to reibashi.

  


NOTE 2: Both Elite Class reishou and Reibashi are warrior-soldiers as well. There were legends passed on from generations depicting a full-scale war between the Elite Class Reishou and the Reibashi and are considered rivals against each other. However, none of these legends even explained why they had that "full-scale war" in the first place.

  


////

  


Lin arrived at the crime scene with Era after our witness interview with Hayato Isohata, the current Dean of the HSS Field Program at MRA, who was also a schoolmate of our "unidentified student" victim, Yundong Kim. After revealing that he was even accused of going insane because of the horrible incident that involved Yundong Kim those years ago, his testimony may be questionable. I'm not saying he's gone mentally insane, otherwise he wouldn't be Dean right now, but there are still some things that needed to check out before we can conclude his statement as legitimate.

  


Lin revealed to us the complete autopsy report on Yundong Kim. The poor guy had his face skinned off by whoever killed him, luckily he was already dead. When his body was found, because his facial markup had been stripped off, they weren't able to identify him by his face alone. That was why he was only known as "the unidentified student."

  


Bad news though - the body went missing from the CME (chief medical examiner)'s lab just as the CME who wrote that autopsy report was about to finish its body examinations.

  


OBJECTIVES FOR DAY 3 AND DAYS LATER BEFORE THE GRAND BALL:

  


  

  * Have Heechon arrange another questioning session with his parents at the Outer Seibara Temple regarding Dean Isohata. They seem to know each other. Maybe they can check out the dean's testimony and see if he was legit or not.

  

  

  * Dean Isohata lent us his yearbook that had Yundong Kim's portrait in them. Because HSS is one of the largest classes in MRA, the forensics team (Lin, Era, Shuta, some RC-15 detectives) will have to look through every single name and narrow it down to a few who may have close relationships with Yundong Kim or any one of his friends (including Dean Isohata himself). We can start off by reading the autographs written by friends throughout the yearbook.

  

  

  * Keigo and Mion investigate the Muyoudake Grove, in particular, the barrier marked at the updated brochure map.

  

  

  * Find Yundong Kim's body!!! Also, find the CME who did the review and find the detectives who were working on this case 14 yrs ago.

  

  

  * Reishou tantei to investigate that "barrier" marked on the updated Muyoudake Grove map pamphlet

  

  

  * Before the grand ball, AVOID being seen or communicate with the four crown princes or anyone of the Royal Family involved with them.

  

  

  * Taichi Kihara, the one who was supposed to replace Dr. Jeon, never showed up at the crime scene. I get that he's also Crown Prince Ruki's personal assistant but come on now. At least give us a phone call or something. So unprofessional!

  

  



* * *

  
  
  
### MIRUKAN ROYAL ACADEMY - MUYOUDAKE GROVE (Present, about an hour later)

  


Keigo and Mion followed the trail leading towards the Muyoudake, just as instructed by their inspector captain. They carried their backpacks with them containing the equipment they need to collect any evidence in the grove, just in case. When they arrived at the entrance, there were no signs of anyone there, even though the students and others were finally making their exit from the auditorium. Both detectives hoped that no one would enter the Muyoudake while they were present with their investigation.

  


Following the map pamphlets, Keigo decided to split up. "This barrier here looked really long. We need to measure an estimate on how far that barrier is stretched out. Maybe we'll have an idea how big this Muyoudake Grove is and what's really on the other side of that barrier."

  


Mion nodded in agreement. "Oh man, Keigo, remember what happened seven years ago when we all split?"

  


"Yeah," Keigo frowned. "I can't believe I fell for that girl to get me to meet her past that intersection area before…"

  


"Luckily for you, you were unharmed."

  


"Right. You take the right side, I'll go left."

  


They took out their walkie-talkie radios from their backpacks, turned them on, and placed them on their belts. They made their way to the directions they decided to go. As they moved on forward, they also kept constant checks with one another to be sure the radios were working properly, as they walked further.

  


"I'm not at the marked barrier yet, over," Keigo said on the other end of Mion's radio.

  


"Same here. But I'm almost nearing the right intersection where we first found Yundong, over."

  


"Copy."

  


Mion continued following the path from memory and without using the map. Further and further, she started to get more familiar with the path without even wondering where she was currently located. However, the more she gets deeper within the grove, she could also feel her goosebumps rising. Not only that she was feeling the warmth of the afternoon sun, but she was also beginning to feel some chills through her skin. She looked up at the towering bamboo trees and noted that there was no breeze movement against its branches and leaves.

  


"Keigo, I'm almost near. I can really feel it, over."

  


"Same here, over."

  


"There's definitely traces of phantasmic aura around here. I wonder if there are any spirits loose or already passed through this marked barrier, over."

  


"How far are you to the intersection, over?"

  


"Just two more marks I can remember from seven years ago, over. I'm very near, over."

  


"When we do reach the barrier, radio silence, over."

  


"Copy."

  


Both reishou tantei proceeded to their chosen paths to find the marked barrier. No longer using the maps but instead rely on the stronger traces of phantasmic aura, they knew that the stronger they feel them, the closer they are. For Mion, as she was starting to get closer and closer, flashes of scenes from her own past started to appear in her mind. She quickly stopped and closed her eyes so she can regain her focus and attempted to remove any past flashes that continued on appearing in her own view.

  


_Why am I seeing all this? This is all over. I'm not in high school anymore, please…_

  


As the past flashes continued, she could see familiar faces that somehow indicated the part of her past that was appearing towards her.

  


_Yundong… where are you? I see you in these past flashes but I don't see you…_

  


Without even aware, she was beginning to bend down, losing balance of her own stance. Another clear flash came to her, with Yundong leaving her his last message. Without awareness, she collapsed to the ground.

* * *

  


### MIRUKAN ROYAL ACADEMY - MUYOUDAKE GROVE (5 years ago)

  


A teary-eyed Mion ran to the Muyoudake Grove without being aware of her surroundings. She was so used to being in the forest to meet her former first (unrequited) love, Yundong Kim, that she already knew where to go and who to find. She wore her black blazer uniform with two things on her blazer: A flower pin on her blazer's left collar and an engraved silver pin that indicated the school's emblem and her name. This means that she was finally a graduate of the LEF field of the Mirukan Royal Academy, and was automatically admitted to Mirukan University to continue her studies.

  


But, because of her status as a Central Class reishou, she will only be attending university for general and practical study for a year. The next three years will be completely devoted to reishou training by the Outer Seibara clergy, along with Keigo and others who eventually discovered they were randomly chosen as reishou.

  


However, we still don't know what the tears are for. Tears of sadness that she would have to say goodbye to the friends she made through her high school years? Or was it something else?

  


Or maybe because she was saddened to say goodbye to her first love, a handsome, charming wandering ghost named Yundong Kim. Maybe it was difficult for her to get over him completely, or maybe because she is heartbroken that she and the friends Yundong made will be moving on, leaving him alone and stuck on campus as a wandering ghost all over again.

  


When she finally arrived at the right intersection of the grove, Yundong was found leaning against one of the railings. He didn't seem sad or worried in particular, but rather, he had a glowing smile on his face, gazing right at the sunny sky. She arrived, still with tears, and Yundong turned to see her.

  


"Well, hello there, LEF graduate," Yundong greeted her, as he approached her with his usual smile on his face. "Congratulations, Mion."

  


"Thank you, Yundong-senpai," Mion reached for her pocket tissues, took a tissue, and began to wipe her tears.

  


"I know, if I were able to graduate those years ago, I would have those tears on your eyes too."

  


Mion nodded, continuously wiping her unending tears from her eyes. "But… these tears aren't really because of goodbyes… I mean… these tears are partially my farewell to you, Yundong-senpai."

  


Yundong gave a faint smile. "Don't say this is a farewell to you, Mion. I believe that we'll see each other again in the near future."

  


"But also, I'm sad because I have to leave you here. You still can't leave this place. You're forever stuck here."

  


"Ah, but I've been a wandering ghost for seven years now, Mion. What makes you think I'll be sad and suffering here? But you know, during those seven years, let's just say… being dead and wandering isn't so bad after all. I get to be a hidden hero who wards all those evil spirits away from the living world. You know?"

  


Mion continued to shed tears, as Yundong attempted to reach his hand towards her cheek. He immediately stopped, knowing as a ghost, he can't feel any living flesh, even upon a touch. "Mion, you're still alive. You have a whole life ahead of you. I know… you are destined to do something wonderful, and I always believed that."

  


"Something wonderful? I don't even know anymore…"

  


"You want to be a reishou tantei, don't you? That's always been the only thing you always talked about for the past two and a half years. This is what you should be thinking about."

  


"Being a reishou tantei…"

  


"Remember, we will meet again in a few years. I look forward to meeting you again in your classy detective attire, showing up here and flashing me your detective badge and your reishou tantei emblem sticker on it! That is what I'm really looking forward to."

  


Mion nodded slowly. "I promise… no… I _will_ become that person when we meet again, Yundong-senpai. This… this isn't a goodbye."

  


"Yes, that's right. When you become that person, that is when you will finally be able to rescue me… and the entire world."

  


"I… I want to find you… I mean… I want to find how you ended up like this… why you didn't ascend to the heavens or pass on to the spirit world, Yundong-senpai."

  


Yundong smiled. "I know you will. And not just that… you won't be alone when you do. You'll be with the one you will love the most… and he, will love you more than anything or anyone else in this world. Both of you will be here to see me. That, I can tell you that."

  


Mion found herself smiling after hearing those words. "So… you figured it out? That… well, I've gotten over you completely… well, maybe not completely."

  


"Ah, but I'm a wandering ghost, you know? I can go anywhere within this campus. I can see and hear things and no one will know. But of course, I'm no spy. And I'm glad you did. That is the first thing you should do, once you enter university and eventually, your reishou tantei training that comes right after."

  


"I… I don't think you'll be right about me not being alone… or rather, you're wrong when that someone with me is the one I'm truly destined with."

  


Yundong walked and stood next to Mion at another railing. "Do you remember how I teased you before about the one you're destined with?"

  


Mion chuckled. "You were just cheering me up and still reminded me that my future duties are priority."

  


"Noooo…" Yundong laughed. "I was serious then."

  


"You were serious… you mean, you were serious when you said my destined one happens to be one of the guys from my LEF class?"

  


"Yup," Yundong nodded. "Besides the LEF boys and maybe the beautiful Princess Mirai herself, you don't have that many friends."

  


"Oi, that's really harsh, Yundong-senpai," Mion laughed. Right then, she deeply sighed and lowered her head. "I guess… my destined one isn't the one I'm kind of… crushing over right now, huh?"

  


Yundong chuckled. "I said no such thing. I said, definitely, one of the LEF boys will be your destined one. Isn't the one you're beginning to fall in love with one of the LEF boys?"

  


Mion found herself blushing. "Oh… oh that's right. You're right. It's just that… I look at him differently for who he is, and not just my fellow LEF classmate or… who he is when he was born."

  


"But he _is_ your fellow LEF classmate. Well, was."

  


She shook her head once more. "No… it's impossible. It will never be him, no way."

  


"Eh? You forgot about what I told you also before then?"

  


"Oh." She took a breath and began to ponder. "Oh, right. You advised me that I should never shut my heart on the first guy who comes up to me with a smile on his face. Well, I'll… do what I can to keep my heart open."

  


"But you said it's impossible and it'll never be him. You already shut your heart for saying that."

  


"I was talking about my sort-of crush, not any random guy from the LEF who comes up to me. I don't count my adopted brothers, okay? That's just gross."

  


Yundong laughed again. "Don't worry, I wasn't referring to your brothers. But still… don't ever shut your heart. Maybe he doesn't feel the same way as you right now, but he'll open his eyes and he'll truly see how wonderful and beautiful you are, Mion. Why? Because you really are indeed a wonderful and beautiful person."

  


Mion sighed. "I really wish you're alive right now, Yundong-senpai. I wish… that was you."

  


"But I'm not an LEF student."

  


"Ugh, right…" Mion shook her head.

  


"Alright, then… tell me this, Mion. What makes you think that the one you're… 'sort of having a crush on right now'… isn't the one destined to be with you, huh? What's your legitimate reason?"

  


Mion lowered her head, then placed her hand on her graduation pin. "It's just that… there's this tradition with exchanging graduation pins…"

  


Yundong broke into laughter. "Oh, that nonsense? Well, okay, maybe not nonsense. I died before I graduated high school, but yes, that tradition and superstition has been a tradition of MRA for ages. When someone asks you to exchange pins and he or she agrees, then you are definitely meant to be together. There is only one graduation pin after all, so many suitors would be battling each other for that person's pin. But to be honest with you, it's just a pin."

  


"Well… I overheard a conversation between my brothers and the other boys. The one who I 'sort of having a crush on' already has a special girl in his mind whom he want to exchange his pins with. And then, right after graduation, so many girls approached him, probably asking to exchange pins too… so I just…"

  


"Huh… I see…" Yundong tapped on his chin. "Is that why you arrived here with tears in your eyes?"

  


She dropped her head and sighed. "Yundong-senpai… I'm hopeless right now. I've become your typical high school girl whose only goal is to get a boyfriend you hope you'd marry in the future…"

  


"Even high school girls who always play it cool will end up in that mode too, you know," Yundong grinned. "But how do you know one of those girls will be the one he will exchange pins with?"

  


"For all we know, he probably went to that girl already and exchanged pins."

  


"You sure about that, Mion? You assume way too much, and that's a bad sign if you're going to be a future reishou tantei. Assumptions can make a strong detective weak. Don't be that person, Mion."

  


"Well, what am I supposed to do that I feel this way?"

  


"That's the question you shouldn't be asking me about," Yundong reminded her once more. "You'll find your answers very soon."

  


"Very soon? What do you mean by that?"

  


"Ah!" Yundong gasped. "Someone's coming!"

  


"Eh? I should hide— I mean I don't want anyone to know I'm a reishou!" Mion shrieked and began to panic by attempting to climb over the trail railing.

  


"I'm serious about what I said, Mion," Yundong repeated. "Don't shut your heart at the first guy who comes up to you!"

  


"Yundong-senpai, wait—"

  


Before she knew it, she already heard footsteps and even the voice that somehow gave chills down her spin.

  


"Mion! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

  


"See? I told you he'll come," Yundong smirked. He fell silent and began to witness the scene that was about to take place.

  


Mion turned her head and found the last person she ever wanted to see at the Muyoudake, or rather, the last person she wanted to see at all, especially when it came to panicking about the one she 'sorta has a crush on.'

  


"Oh…" Mion whispered.

  


"Oh, Yundong-senpai, hey," the young man spotted the ghost behind Mion.

  


Yundong gave him a salute. "Don't mind me. I'm here as a witness. Just remember that I'm dead."

  


The young man gave a soft chuckle, "Aye, Kim-senpai." Right then, he approached Mion closer and then expressed a worried look.

  


"Why are you crying, Mion?"

  


Mion shook her head then faced him. Without being aware, her heart began to beat very fast. "Oh… it's just that… I came here to say my final goodbyes to Yundong-senpai… well… sort of."

  


He reached out his hand and gently wiped a few leftover tears on her eyes. "There, no more tears."

  


Mion found herself blushing again. "But… why are you here? Are you going to say your farewells to Yundong-senpai too?"

  


"Um, hey," Yundong attempted to interrupt, "final goodbyes? Farewells? I'm still going to be here even if you return to this spot in ten years and who knows how long."

  


The young man gazed at Yundong and scoffed. "Don't worry, by the time we see you again, we'll be sure to send you off to the heavens."

  


"Alright, proceed." Yundong rested at his own spot, crossing his arms and turning his head away from the two students.

  


"What's this?" The young man reached for Mion's pin on her collar. "You haven't exchanged your pin to anyone?"

  


"Well…" Mion turned away, covering her pin. "I… don't plan on exchanging pins with some random guy." She turned her head again and noticed the boy's graduation pin still bearing his name. "I thought you were going to exchange your pin to that special girl you were talking about with the guys before?"

  


"Hmm…" the boy placed his fingers on his chin, twiddling. "I was going to, but then if I did, then I'll just be living the nonsense hype of that pin exchanging bit."

  


"Uh, yeah. Same," Mion cleared her throat, with Yundong whistling away.

  


"So… well, since we're both here and all… wanna exchange pins instead?"

  


Mion gasped and chuckled. "What? I thought you said this whole exchanging pins is nonsense hype? You actually want to trade pins with me?"

  


The boy shrugged. "I mean it's just you and me, right? Unless you're saving your pin to someone else… like… oh I don't know… Keigo?"

  


"Ew, shut up, that's gross!" Mion ended up slapping him on the side of his arm, as the boy laughed. She found herself blushing again. "F-fine… yeah, it's just you and me…"

  


The boy smirked and turned to Yundong. "You're our witness to this moment, got that, Yundong-senpai?" Yundong saluted him as his answer, but remained silent.

  


"Alright… here you go…" Mion slowly unpins her pin from her collar, as the boy does the same simultaneously.

  


Once both pins were removed, the two finally traded their pins along with the boxes that stored the pins. From there, they placed both pins on their own collars. Mion took a deep sigh and smiled happily.

  


"Looks good on you with my name on it," the boy winked, with Mion slapping him on the side again. "Hey! It's the truth!"

  


"You're really cocky, you know that? Look at you all saying it with pride."

  


"I swear, it's the truth!"

  


"It's the truth," Yundong repeated.

  


Mion found herself smiling once more. "Thank you."

  


"Thank you also, Mion," the boy smiled. "I'll keep your pin clean and shiny. I… hope you'd do the same with mine."

  


"Don't worry. I will…"

  


Mion turned to her new pin and then took a closer look. She read the name engraved on the pin and smile. When she looked up, the boy placed his hands on her shoulders, facing her with a serious expression.

  


"Mion, listen," he began. "I know we're both attending Mirukan University, like pretty much everyone else in LEF. But as reishou, we're only going to be attending for one year. The rest is reishou and reishou tantei training."

  


"I know. We can't be emotionally attached as we used to when we get to that point…"

  


"Yeah. But, I'm afraid we may be different classes of reishou, and that we won't be training together because of it, so…"

  


She sighed with a disappointing voice. "Y-yeah. You're right. That means we'll be distant from each other then…"

  


"I can't guarantee anything when we get there, Mion… but… will your heart still remain open?" She gazed at him with curiosity. "That is… before we get to that point… let's focus on our goals and not other things that'll get in the way. In that way, we can both wait, right?"

  


"Wait… what are we waiting for?"

  


Yundong chuckled and interrupted briefly. "Oh, come on now, Mion-chan, you already know what he's talking about."

  


"Shut up, Yundong-senpai, I didn't ask you!" Mion quickly gave her defensive answer, which made the ghost chuckle even more. She turned back towards the boy again.

  


"I don't think I'll have time to meet anyone else, so… rest assured."

  


"Then, you'll wait then… no matter how long… right?" The boy asked him with a happy voice. She returned the smile with a confident one.

  


"I'll wait. Will you wait for me too… well if you can?"

  


The boy nodded. "Even if it'll take me ten years to see you again, I'll wait as long as we're both alive."

  


Mion bit her bottom lip, trying to stop her eyes from shedding tears again. "I want to believe you… I really do. And I _will_ believe your words."

  


"Thank you…" The two embrace each other tightly, with Yundong sneaking closer to them behind, observing them from a closer view.

  


"That's also a promise," Yundong spoke, with the two gasping in surprise with his voice. "Since you both made a promise with each other, I want you two to promise something with me as well."

  


"Yeah?" The boy asked curiously. "What's that, Yundong-senpai?"

  


"The both of you— promise me that when you both see each other again, let's say, in ten years or close to that number, you will return here and find me. Please?"

  


Mion smiled. "Of course, Yundong-senpai. We both know you really well, you know… even though you're already dead."

  


"With some conditions," Yundong continued.

  


"Oh?" The boy asked. "What conditions?"

  


"The two of you still remain as close as you are now… maybe _a lot_ closer than what you are now," Yundong said. "At least one of you should be a reishou tantei, badge and everything."

  


" _We_ will be reishou tantei, that's for sure," the boy answered.

  


"Wait, but how are you going to be a rei—" Quickly, the boy placed his finger on Mion's speaking lips to keep her quiet.

  


"Yundong-senpai, _we_ will be reishou tantei when we see you again," the boy assured once more, "Definitely."

  


Yundong nodded. "In that case, shall I call you both with these names early?"

  


"Sure, what names?" Mion smiled happily.

  


"Be strong and successful, and come meet me again here at the Muyoudake, Future Detective Mion Raira and Future Detective—"

* * *

  


### MIRUKAN ROYAL ACADEMY - MUYOUDAKE GROVE (Present)

  


"Ruki!"

  


Mion suddenly called out the Hangingakean crown prince's name, as she woke up from her brief unconsciousness. Slowly, she got up from her spot, then reached in her blazer's inner pocket and took out the box that stored the pin. She opened it and then gently traced her finger over the name.

  


_Ruki, Crown Prince of Hangingake… Ruki… Ruki… Ruki… Ruki… Ruki…_

  


Quickly, she shook her head and placed the box back in her inner pocket. _No, Mion, calm down. You're not eighteen anymore. Focus on your investigation!_

  


She stood up once more and then moved forward to her destination. Still, her own thoughts began to flood in her mind.

  


_You're a crown prince, Ruki. You can't be reishou tantei!_

  


_Why are you always here whenever I'm alone or when I'm with Yundong-senpai?_

  


_"What can I say? I just happen to be around when you're there."_

  


Mion quickly shook her head to ward off these thoughts inside her head.

  


_You can't be a reishou tantei! You'll eventually become king of your own kingdom and to extent, the new Emperor of Mirukan if you were chosen!_

  


_Ruki, you can't eat my bento that I made for Yundong-senpai! I mean, it's Mirukanian border region food. It's cheap and—_

  


_"Mmm delicious! You need to make more of these. They're so good!"_

  


_No one in Mirukan loves border food…_

  


_"You don't have to make them for everyone. You can just make them for me. Please, Mion?"_

  


_"I was born with a royal title, but I'm just another person, just like you."_

  


_"Pretend than I'm Yundong-senpai, so you won't have to feel nervous when you dance with me at the floor."_

  


_"Was Yundong-senpai really that good-looking? I mean, I'm not trying to be rude, but he's dead. Don't expect any reincarnation of him just so you can be with him."_

  


_"Do you want to try one day? You know… being with me…"_

  


Once more, she closed her eyes and shook her head. "Focus, Detective Mion Raira. Find the barrier— quick!"

  


Right then, her inner panicking quickly stopped when she heard her walkie-talkie radio sounded with Keigo's voice on the other side.

  


"I found the barrier, Mion. It's there but it's not there… well if you know what I mean, over."

  


Quickly, she reached for her radio and answered. "Copy that, Keigo, over."

  


"What's your status, over?"

  


"I… fainted briefly… but I'm very close…" Just as she was walking, she found something shiny but also transparent. "Hm… something ahead of me is glimmering, but it's also transparent, over."

  


"Yep, that's the barrier. I haven't examined it yet, but it looks like it is a magical barrier between the side where we're standing and whatever the heck it is at the other side, over."

  


"Right, Keigo, over. I'm about to approach it right now, over."

  


"Alright. From this point on, radio silence starting now, over."

  


"Copy." As planned, Mion turned off her radio and approached a semi-invisible barrier. _Come on, Mion, stop thinking about Ruki. Just focus. Focus._

  


Once she approached the wall, she placed her hand onto it. Few seconds later, she noticed the barrier react to her touch by flashing a bright light. She also felt something warming up upon her touch and then looked through the transparent wall.

  


As she gazed at it, from out of the blue, visions and wailing sounds of ghastly- looking spirits suddenly appeared in front of her, but were also pushed back by the wall. Just as she thought, the transparent barrier was placed here on purpose. She took out her phone, turned on a special infrared mode, and then began to take photos of the barrier.

  


The next question came to her mind: _Where is Yundong-senpai? Would he still be here? Could he be trapped behind this wall?_

  


The ghastly spirits in form of monstrous-looking poltergeists continued to wail that can send shivers to any normal human's spines, however, being a lot more experienced and no longer a naive newbie in being reishou from seven years ago, she stepped back a few steps from the barrier and closed her eyes, trying to observe and listen through the various mixes of wailing spirits crying out from the other side of the invisible barrier.

  


She shook her head once she listened to them more. They were not cries from malevolent spirits, but desperate cries from various wandering spirits that somehow transformed their souls into the types of spirits that everyday humans would fear. As she continued to listen, the wails suddenly begin to transform into words through her head.

  


_Vengeance… vengeance against the Mirukan Royalty… Mirukan must fall… the Seibaran gods must fall… heavens, please bless the souls of the innocent… they are not saints of the Seibaran gods, they are demons in disguise! Murderers!_

  


She found herself being forced back as if she was pushed from the front, landing right on the ground. Slowly, she woke up from her concentration of the ghostly voices and slowly got up. Right then, she approached the invisible wall and then spoke.

  


"Yundong Kim! Where is he? Where are you, Yundong Kim?"

  


The words formed from earlier continued on, and rather than calling for another spirit, she decided to face the ghosts on the other side of the wall. She started off by reaching for her badge wallet and showed her badge. For licensed reishou tantei, there is a special emblem embossed on their police IDs to indicate that they are one. She waited for a few seconds to leave her badge open to the spirits.

  


As she thought, the wailing stopped and the monstrous-looking ghosts on the other side suddenly fell silent. Once again, she cleared her throat and spoke.

  


"I'm a reishou tantei investigating a fourteen-year-old murder cold case here at Mirukan Royal Academy. What is this place?"

  


The spirits remained, then one fainting voice answered: "We are the most loyal of the most loyal citizens of the Kingdom of Mirukan. The _Kingdom_ of Mirukan. We were wronged by the current King Raijin the 20th for going against his ambitions of expanding our beloved _Kingdom_ of Mirukan into an empire!"

  


_Raijin XX? I remembered learning about him back in LEF history class…_ Mion rubbed her chin, then began to ask more questions. "Raijin XX? He was the first emperor of the Mirukan Empire after all…"

  


"So," another fainting voice of a spirit joined in, "The _Kingdom_ of Mirukan no longer exists. It's the _Empire_ of Mirukan now. Our kingdom is definitely doomed!"

  


"Raijin XX is no longer here… the current emperor is Emperor Raiou and his current wife, Empress Maira," Mion continued. "I'm a reishou tantei detective originally based in Yamabe, a growing town of the Border Region. I'm not here to vanquish you, I'm here seeking help from you spirits regarding a fourteen-year-old murder cold case. I'm looking for Yundong Kim, the alleged victim of that case."

  


Once again, the spirits remained silent again. Moments later, a wailing female voice answered: "The poor young man… he sacrificed himself for the sake of our kingdom, but he is not a Mirukanian. He and his friends did not deserve the brutal massacre that these so-called holy servants have done to them! Vengeance! We seek vengeance!"

  


Mion reached for her phone, opened her notepad app, and began to jot down the notes according to these spirits.

  


"As part of their dark practices, they skinned his fair and beautiful face to prevent his own spirit to become a powerful vengeful spirit like us! They are afraid of those with the purest heart! The purest hearts of the living can turn into vengeance and hate! And when that happens, they become monsters who will bring downfall to their selfish agenda! The Seibara Ecclessia? They are nothing but demons in the guise of saints!"

  


She placed her pointer finger against her lips, hushing the wailing of the spirits. "Are you saying the Seibara Ecclessia clergy… and its followers… were the ones responsible for your deaths? Why is there a barrier here?"

  


"Ask your corrupt clergy!" Another spirit shouted. "They were the ones who built this invisible barrier between the living and the spirit world! But you yourself are a reishou tantei. I'm sure you're able to pass through this barrier."

  


Mion frowned and placed her hand onto the barrier. The barrier felt very solid to her touch. "No, not even a reishou can go through."

  


"Then you're only General Class?" Another spirit answered.

  


"Central Class, since I can hear you and you can hear me," Mion corrected. She then stepped away from the barrier, then glared. "Look, if none of you all will help me with this murder case, then bring me Yundong Kim for an interview."

  


"You can't!" A much deeper-toned growl sounded. "The young Yundong Kim is trapped with us here! He was also silenced because of this barrier. A much higher-class reishou is needed to break the barrier! Bring us a higher-class reishou, break this barrier, and no harm will come to you reishou tantei!"

  


"I see." The reishou tantei gazed upward, then sighed deeply. "No one throughout the entire police force are registered as a reishou higher than my own class. It'll be difficult to locate one willing higher-class reishou to break the barrier."

  


"Find one… and find one fast… or the world will be destroyed by a force more evil, sinister, and destructive than what was written in the ancient documents!"

  


"The sacrifices of those reishou from the high nobility and royalty to keep the peace of this world is a lie! We speak the truth because we are the ones they sacrificed!"

  


The words from the spirits continued to sound off through the barrier.

  


"The Seibara Clergy are breeding that evil force we speak of! Their so-called solution to a more peaceful world is the destruction of humanity itself! There will be no peace, only destruction!"

  


"This demon they breed feed on the powers of the reishou sacrificed!"

  


"The reishou of royal and high noble blood is what powers this demon!"

  


The voices continued to wail out and are now invading Mion's head, which caused her to shut her ears with her own hands and lost her balance. "One at a time! Please… stop… stop…"

  


A weakness of the lower-class reishou, both general class and central class, is that when voices of the spirits from the spirit realm begin to invade and overpower the minds of the reishou, they lose consciousness. At that point, Mion loses her consciousness once more, with her phone being dropped on the ground.

  


Some moments later, Mion could hear a familiar voice calling for her. The voices of the spirits were still in her head, but the one particular voice somehow soothed her and her occupied mind.

  


"Mion… Mion, wake up… don't worry, I have you."

  


As this one voice continued to soothe her, the voices of the wailing spirits began to disappear. Still unconscious, her inner voice began to speak in her mind.

  


_Who… who are you…?_

  


_"It's me, Mion. I'm here now. I've finally found you... please, stay with me."_

* * *

  


### FLAME ROCK ESTATE PRECINT #34SN-B - CHOU-KINSHOU, MIRUKAN (Present - 5 hours later)

  


Mion found herself in her own bedroom. She slowly got up from her bed, still in her usual suit attire, and tiptoed towards the door. As she exited, she found a nearby door opening across the hall. Keigo came out from that door, also looking a little exhausted.

  


"Keigo… how… how on earth did we get back here?" Mion's eyes widened with surprise.

  


Keigo blinked, rubbing his eyes. "I… I don't know… We radio-silenced… and I attempted to make a measurement of the entire barrier… but there were malicious spirits also following me along and started wailing with some words I couldn't even remember in my mind… and then everything went blank after that." He placed his forearm over his forehead, shaking his head at the same time. "Are you okay, Mion?"

  


"Eh? So, if everything turned black, then… you weren't the one who found me earlier? I know I lost consciousness and…"

  


Keigo shook his head. "So, you lost consciousness too."

  


The two siblings slowly walked towards the grand stairs and then found their fellow detectives still at work. Era looked up from the microscope and then waved at them. "Oh, you two are awake!"

  


"So, you guys found us and brought you guys here?"

  


"Uhh…" Lin scratched his head, then answered. "Yeah… we found you…"

  


"We had assistance from the er…" Era scratched her head, pondering whether they should reveal who their real rescuers were that got them back at the 34SN-B headquarters.

  


"Where's Yasu-niki at?" Keigo asked curiously.

  


"He ain't here," Lin answered quickly. "Even Inspector Captain Kazuki Tanabe ain't here either."

  


A few of the RC-15 detectives entered the scene with some boxes. "Ah, you're both awake," Shuta Urano gave them a thumbs up.

  


"Whew, that was a close call," Shunya Osawa led out a deep sigh. "It's a good thing the right people were there to find you really quick!"

  


"Whoa, wait," Keigo scratched his head. "What the hell's going on here? Any status?"

  


Shunya answered immediately: "Well, we have to steer clear off of the library crime scene for the time being. Oh yeah, Inspector Captain Raira also reminded us to not go back to the crime scene for the graveyard shift and have Inoue, Okano, and Sasaki take care of it."

  


"No!" Mion exclaimed. "We have to get back in there! We need to know that supernatural being trying to break through that trapdoor!"

  


"You're in pretty bad shape right now, Neechan," Era frowned. "You both got all of us worried here, I thought some malevolent spirit got to you and killed you!"

  


"Those weren't malevolent spirits on that other side of the barrier," Mion informed them. The two reishou tantei sat on the empty seats to rest. "They were spirits of normal human beings who were killed somewhere around the Muyoudake Grove. I remembered something about Yundong's skinning that prevented him from transforming into a vengeful poltergeist…"

  


"What the…" Shuta gasped and dashed near them. "The skinning of Yundong Kim— was to prevent his spirit from evolving into a vengeful poltergeist?"

  


"So that explains it," Lin nodded. "No wonder Yundong Kim's spirit made him look like a normal human being at first glance. That's a horrible practice, but somehow it kind of gave Yundong a favor as a wandering spirit. Vengeful poltergeists are one thing we all want to avoid, normal human being or reishou."

  


"Who on earth would do that though?" Era frowned. "Ugh, now I really want to get back to the crime scene during the graveyard shift!"

  


"Yo, where's our inspector captain anyway?" Keigo frowned, with Shunya finally replying.

  


"Oh, right. Both inspector captains were called for by Director Sano, so both have to go to the LJB Main Headquarters at the Royal Capital. We'll find out soon when they get back and see what our next steps are going to be."

  


"Great, just great," Keigo frowned. "First, they're not here. Second, they want us to back off from the graveyard shift."

  


"Don't worry about the graveyard reishou tantei though," Shuta assured them. "We've worked with them closely and there is a very good reason why Director Sano assigned them to be part of the case too, aside from being insomniacs."

  


"Ah!" Era gasped and turned to both Mion and Keigo. "What if they're having a meeting because Sano want to finally dispatch the three new detectives who will be joining our team?"

  


"Aaah!" Shunya and Shuta shrieked in surprise. "You're right about that! Maybe we'll finally going to meet the three new detectives like later today or tomorrow!"

  


"I heard rumors," Shunya added, "I heard these three got really strong potentials and are valuable assets to our investigation. Poor Yundong Kim would be so thrilled that we're finally getting together and find the killers who did this to him!"

  


"Still," Lin yawned, "Yasu ain't revealing to us their names yet, like what the hell? It'd be nice if we know their names first before we actually meet them."

  


"Maybe they want the three detectives to introduce themselves more formally to us, you know?" Era smiled.

  


"Ugh, I want to see something new besides blotched blood on paper," Lin began his minor complaining.

  


"Anyway," Mion stood up from her seat. "I'm hungry. I'll go and whip up something—"

  


"Don't have to," Shuta smiled. "Junki cooked some carbonara in a large batch earlier today. Should still be warm. It's at the kitchen."

  


"Aw, thanks!" Keigo smiled, as he and Mion dashed to the kitchen.

  


"Oh yeah, one more thing!" Shunya called out.

  


"What's that?" Mion turned her head.

  


"Yasu, er, Inspector Captain Raira, wants the both of you to send in your reports to him regarding your Day 2 investigations. He needs it ASAP, since he's at Sano's office right now."

  


"Yeah. We'll start writing our reports while we eat," Keigo gave his thumbs up, as he and Mion proceeded to the kitchen.

* * *

  


### LEAGUE OF JUDGES AND BARRISTERS HEADQUARTERS - KINSHOU, MIRUKAN (Present - 5 hours later)

  


Kosuke checked his wristwatch for the time: 10:30 p.m. He lowered his head and crossed his legs, with Inspector Captain Kazuki Tanabe gazed at his fellow captain with curiosity.

  


_The hell is Sano up to now? I swear, he needs to pre-plan everything and not call us out here at this late hour at the last minute…_

  


"Long day today, Yasupon?" Kazuki grinned, sitting across from him. Kosuke glared at his fellow captain.

  


"We had so many distractions earlier today during investigation, like what's up with the whole demolition blessing thing of the crime scene? Whose idea was that in the first place?"

  


"Obviously not me," Kazuki shook his head. "But yeah, that was really bizarre. I get the seminar thing since it's further away from the crime scene but then this… demolition blessing?" He shook his head once more. "I'm a devout Inner Seibaran but I didn't know a demolition would also need some blessings too."

  


"Tanabe, I suggest you convert to Outer Seibara. You'd be a lot safer if you do."

  


"Yasu, I can't. My family will kill me if I didn't."

  


"You're a frickin' adult, Tanabe, they can't kill you just because of your choices!"

  


"My uncle is a priest of one of the local temples here, that's the problem!"

  


Kosuke waved his hands away from Kazuki, then changed the subject. "I don't know what the hell's up with that. They could've scheduled it tomorrow or something when there's no one around."

  


"Well, in any case, I hope your team has come up with something big that would at least crack a bit of the case, have you?"

  


Kosuke shook his head. "I need stronger, higher class reishou tantei to be able to communicate with the spirits at Muyoudake. That invisible barrier does have some kind of supernatural aura around it. I don't know who put that up, but I have a feeling the Inner Seibara clergy is behind it."

  


"You seriously think it's my religion's clergy who's behind that barrier?" Kazuki gasped.

  


"You ain't a reishou tantei, so I understand you can't relate. We'll find out when Keigo and Mion submit their reports to me today. I want to bring up what they found to you and Sano. Maybe we got something to be able to move forward to."

  


"Crossing fingers," Kazuki crossed his fingers, as they hear the office door open.

  


Both inspector captains stood up from their seats as they see Sano entering the office with a small pile of folders under his left arm. Behind him also walked in individuals they did not expect to see. Sano took the end of the table.

  


"Please, take your seats," Sano directed at his guests, as they all sat at their designated seats. Once again, Kosuke crossed his arms and rested his back on his seat, facing his boss.

  


"I thought we weren't going to see each other until the grand ball, Sano?" Kosuke asked curiously with one eyebrow raised.

  


"We miss you too, Yasupon," the presumed leading heir to the Mirukan Empire throne, Crown Prince Youta, sat right next to Kazuki, facing directly at Kosuke. He felt a little uncomfortable and let out a sigh.

  


"Sano, I thought we were supposed to stick to the plan until the grand ball?" Kosuke continued to question his boss.

  


"I don't get it either, Sir," Kazuki also shared the same sentiment. "Unless you rather have us report to you our Day 2 investigation instead of writing it and send it to you by email unlike yesterday."

  


"Just for tonight, Yasu, Kazuki," Sano answered immediately. "Besides, it wasn't me who wanted to bring you two here in my office right now."

  


"Oh, really?" Kazuki blinked curiously. "I see."

  


As their formal way of greeting as two senior detectives, they stood up from their seats and bowed to the four crown princes as subjects. Next to Youta was his brother Shin, sitting next to him. Next to Kosuke are the Hangingake crown princes, Ruki and Shosei. After they showed their respectful greeting, they sat back down on their seats.

  


"Maybe you should sit at this end of the table, Your Highness?" Sano turned to Youta, offering him his seat.

  


"This is your office, Sano, no need," Youta answered, preferring to stay on his current seat. Sano nodded and remained at the end of the table. Right then, the last-minute meeting began with Youta's words.

  


"First of all, I'm sorry that I requested this meeting and dragging you all the way here when we all decided to stick to the plan as stated," Youta began.

  


"You guys and Sano here were the ones who planned this," Kosuke answered. "Tanabe and I here were just following orders."

  


"Ah, right," Youta cleared his throat. "I also have to apologize about earlier today. It was a last-minute request from the chancellor about that demolition blessing. I got a little worried when the chancellor came up to us and requested this, considering that the entire Hangingake Royal Family are here in Mirukan to help prepare for the grand ball at the end of the week."

  


"I actually didn't know there is such thing as a demolition blessing," Shin joined in the conversation. "Maybe it's something new in Seibara practice?"

  


"It's definitely something new," Youta confirmed. "After many years of studying the Inner Seibara teachings, I've never heard of a practice that the clergy and royalty are to bless a demolition site. Opening of a new infrastructure, yes. But demolishing an old building? To be honest, as we were there to say our prayers and blessings, I felt awkward at the same time."

  


Kosuke tapped on his chin. "None of us have met this chancellor before. We don't have a reason to meet each other… yet."

  


"Good," Youta answered. "You _don't_ want to meet him anyway."

  


"Oh? Who is he anyway?"

  


Shin quickly answered. "Kenshin Kagemoto. Don't tell me you don't remember him?"

  


Kosuke shook his head. "No, I don't."

  


"He was an LEF student of our rival school, Monrovian Kings Academy. He was also their Valedictorian too. He was the top mystery solver and debater from the Annual Odyssey Masters League Mysteries and Debate Battle Royale then… until you showed up. You really don't remember him, Yasu?" Kazuki joined in the conversation.

  


"Why? Should I?"

  


Crown Prince Shosei gasped. "Are you serious, Yasu-niki? I remembered taking a video recording of the final event too with the final mystery that was needed to be solved. You two were going back and forth like desperate soldiers in the battlefield."

  


"Oi," Kosuke raised an eyebrow. "Since when did a Hangingake Crown Prince start to call me 'Yasu-niki'? You've never called me that… uhh… Your Highness."

  


Shosei grinned. "Oh you know, I'm just practicing."

  


"Practicing… what, exactly?" Kosuke gazed at the younger prince with suspicion, as Ruki chortled to interrupt. Right then, he changed the subject. "Okay, so why are were here? We're not exactly here to catch up with the old times, are we?"

  


Youta shook his head. "No, we're not. I called in this meeting because of what happened earlier today, and I'm still apologizing for that last-minute demolition blessing that occured earlier today. I know it disrupted your investigation of the library area as well."

  


"My main concern is the basement floors of the library, Youta, er, Your Highness," Kosuke answered immediately. "Particularly the old archives basement, Your Highness."

  


"I'm still the same Youta from seven years ago, Yasu, I haven't changed a bit."

  


"I figured," Kosuke sighed in relief.

  


"Don't worry about formalities, Yasu," Sano chuckled. "All of us in this room have known each other for seven years anyway, and there's no one else inside besides a group of good ol' school friends, right?"

  


"Right," Kosuke nodded. "Are we still writing our reports and submit them to you, Sano?"

  


Sano shook his head. "I'm more interested in the detective reports coming from Keigo and Mion, Yasu, about the Muyoudake Grove. But yes, you can just report to us orally."

  


"Right," Kosuke cleared his throat and began. "It will take awhile for the historic society experts to figure out how to unlock that trapdoor. Kise has to look up her late grandfather's manuals for a match of that lock because she hasn't completed the electronic database project she started when she inherited those lock manuals.

  


"We also had our first witness interview with the Dean of the HSS field program at MRA, Hayato Isohata. Apparently, as of now, he was the last surviving member of the friendship circle lead by our poor victim, Yundong Kim."

  


"… Isohata?" Shosei gasped in surprise. "That family name sounds familiar…"

  


Ruki nodded in agreement. "If I can recall, we knew someone whose surname was Isohata seven years ago… a classmate, maybe?"

  


"Dean Isohata's younger sister is currently a teacher of HSS. We even clowned around Keigo about it because the idiot couldn't remember anything, but I think it was love at first sight for him when he first saw her again after so many years."

  


"Aaaah!" Shosei gasped, pointing his finger out. "Sister? Now I remember! Kozue Isohata?"

  


Kosuke nodded. "Yup, that's her. Kozue Isohata."

  


"No way!" The princes chuckled, with Shin shaking his head with a smile.

  


"Kozue Isohata…" Shin grinned. "She had the biggest crush on Keigo back then. She was shy but she was brave at the same time. Behind those spectacles and the short bob cut, Kozue-chan was pretty cute."

  


Kosuke reached for his phone and turned it on, revealing a photo of the teacher Keigo spoke to earlier about the cold case. He took the time to sneak a photo of her discreetly.

  


"Well, look at her," Shin smiled calmly. "That sweet girl blossomed into this graceful beauty, hasn't she?"

  


Shosei immediately blushed. "If Keigo doesn't want her, I'd be happy to have her--"

  


Ruki nudged his brother on the side. "Kozue-chan has no interest in the princes or even the guys from high nobility. She only had her eyes and heart towards Keigo."

  


"And that bastard even shut her down after finally confessing to him with a letter. He didn't even get to read that letter too," Shosei crossed his arms. "But dangit, how can Keigo turn her down back then? I would've said yes if she came up and confessed to me like that!"

  


"Were you, Shosei? I mean, Your Highness?" Sano snickered.

  


"Ugh," Shosei frowned. "Can we just drop all the formalities, it feels weird hearing 'Your Highness' coming from all three of you detectives when you guys used to bully me back in school."

  


"Bully? We did no such thing!" Kazuki frowned.

  


"None of y'all were even interested in her because she wasn't a noble or royal beauty like all those other girls you're all used to," Sano smirked. "Luckily, she has no interest with any royalty whatsoever. She'd still shut you down if you were the one confessing to her."

  


"Dude, your words broke my heart, you know that, Sano?" Shosei sighed sadly, while the rest in the room broke into laughter.

  


Kosuke continued on with his report, providing them the detailed testimony from Hayato earlier today about the last time he made contact with Yundong. "Dean Isohata lent us his old yearbook from fourteen years ago that had Yundong Kim's portrait in it. Because of the incident, even he doesn't know what happened to the rest of his circle of friends, but for sure, Yundong was a very important figure in whatever their cause they're following."

  


"Considering that Yundong Kim was the supposed heir to the Hangingake Inner Seibara clergy head, he was indeed a very important figure," Ruki added. "It's a good thing that our friend and library tutor Heechon Kim decided to cooperate with this investigation also."

  


"This is his cousin we're talking about here," Shin added. "Poor guy never even met Yundong because he was too young to even be aware of him. But I'm sure he has his own reasons why he immediately said yes to cooperate with the cold case also."

  


"He wants to get to know more about the cousin he never knew," Youta said. "Heechon Kim is a respected historical expert and author of many fine books about our empire's history, and they're all bestsellers too. We royals would study the ancient records and documents for our self-studies at the palace since childhood, but I learned a lot more about Mirukan from Heechon than the ancient scholars and the top mentors around the world. But yes, when everything's over, we'll be sure Heechon and Kise Sanjou, as well as Dr. Younghoon Jeon, will be finely compensated for the work they've done for this case."

  


Sano asked Kosuke to proceed with his report again. "The yearbook is now with the forensics team, so Lin, Era, and some of the RC-15 detectives will start narrowing down names of all the HSS students from Yundong's class to the ones who was closely related to Yundong, Isohata, and any of their circle of friends. The yearbook messages written by their peers is a good way of narrowing down names, but we also have to consider other methods as well."

  


"Speaking of the yearbook," Youta interrupted, as he turned to Sano. "If you will, Sano?"

  


Sano opened one of the folders and handed two sets of documents in silver gray parchment to the two inspector captains. It had the list of names printed there, as Kazuki turned to the boss.

  


"These names?"

  


"First page is the names of the bride candidates for the grand ball," Sano explained. "The second page is the official guest list of who will be attending the grand ball. Your names and the names of your team members are already in there under the _Empire Law Enforcement Services_ category."

  


"Why do we need the lists of these people, Sano? You're not putting the police as the ones who will be checking the roster, are you? I'm not sending my officers to do that," Kazuki answered sternly.

  


"I think I know why," Kosuke answered. "It's another tool for eliminating names from the yearbook. Whoever is in the guest list or even at the bridal candidates list may be related to any of these students in that yearbook. We already got Dean Isohata as one of the names already, but he can only tell us much about what he knows. The question now is, if there were any other survivors in their circle of friends before that horrid incident. Once we learn who they are, the grand ball may be the best place for us to… mingle and talk about the 'good ol' high school days at MRA. A few of those to be questioned will bound to drop some names for us."

  


"Ah, I see now. Thank you very much, Your Highnesses, Sir!" Kazuki bowed to all of them, with Kosuke nodding. They both began to skim through the lists until one name stuck among the bridal candidates list.

  


"Kihara?" Kosuke pointed at one of the bride candidates' family names.

  


Ruki sighed deeply. "Taichi's younger sister, Runa. She's five years younger than us but… she's been chasing after me since we were kids back in the home country."

  


"Five years?!" Kazuki gasped in shock. "Is that legal in your kingdom? Having a minor being engaged to an adult?"

  


"Sadly, it is," Ruki sighed. "Yes, Taichi is my personal assistant and also a friend, but I just don't see his littler sister more than just… his little sister."

  


"Speaking of Taichi," Kosuke said, changing the subject, "Ruki, you need to reprimand your personal assistant to be more punctual to us next time. If he wasn't going to come and help us earlier with the investigation after Dr. Jeon had to prepare for that seminar, he should've contacted me. He has my business card passed on."

  


"Don't worry about him, Yasu. I'll take care of him," Ruki frowned. "But I'm also sorry on his behalf."

  


Kosuke waved his hand to not worry, then Ruki changed the subject. "Um, Yasupon? I was wondering… is… is Mion… and also Keigo… okay?"

  


The inspector captain placed the lists down on the table. "They were still unconscious when Kazuki and I left the manor, I mean precinct… 34SN-B. Hopefully, they're awake by now."

  


Ruki nodded. "Good. I'm glad Shin and I were nearby and quickly detected a nearby reishou around the Muyoudake, so he and I decided to investigate to see who those reishou were…"

  


"We both figured it was Mion and Keigo," Shin added. "I know we weren't supposed to meet each other until the grand ball, but somehow we both felt that something was wrong in there."

  


Kosuke smiled. "Thanks for picking Keigo and Mion up. I really appreciate it."

  


Sano went back on subject. "Is there anything else you want to report to us about your Day 2, Yasu?"

  


Kosuke continued with his report regarding the DNA of the dried blood already soaked in Yundong's journal found from fourteen years ago. From Lin's report, one of the DNA blood samples found in the soaked blood in the journal matched the DNA reading of the unidentified student's body from fourteen years ago. Still, because of the skinned lifeless body, there needs to have one more confirmation that the DNA really belonged to Yundong. The only way for them to find that out was to reach out to the Hangingake Census Bureau and send them Yundong's vital profile.

  


"Yes, that will be a little difficult," Ruki rubbed his chin, pondering. "And the Cardinal of the Hangingake Branch isn't exactly an idiot either. It will take a bit to convince him to sign approval for our kingdom's census bureau to send Yundong's vital profile file to you, Yasupon."

  


"Got any ideas on how you're going to have the cardinal to consent to sending his late son's vital profile to us, Your Highness?" Kazuki asked curiously. "We really need Yundong Kim's vital profile to get the investigation going, otherwise we'd only be wasting your time."

  


Ruki gave a slight smirk. "Don't worry about that, Inspector Captain Tanabe. You'll get your consent and you'll get your vital profile. We'll make sure you get that file before the grand ball."

  


"Before the grand ball?" Kosuke pondered. "How on earth are you going to do that? It usually takes weeks to get a vital profile from a foreign country to Mirukan, remember?"

  


"I didn't forget what I studied back in school, Yasupon," Ruki softly chuckled. "The Hangingake Head Clergy Council will be arriving to Kinchou tomorrow morning to meet with my parents. There is a worldwide Inner Seibara Conference that'll take place here later that day. Cardinal Kim will be leading the Hangingake pack. Shosei and I, as well as my sister Princess Honoka and her fiance, Crown Prince Hiroyuki, will be present in that meeting. I'll be sure to give a very good reason why we need that vital profile."

  


"You're still cocky as hell, Crown Prince Ruki of Hangingake," Kosuke snickered. "You may seem serious now as a crown prince and heir to one or both thrones, but this side of you hasn't changed."

  


Ruki returned the snicker. "I learned from the best by watching you, remember?"

  


"Eh? Are you saying you learned how to be cocky by watching me? I don't think I was that cocky."

  


Youta laughed. "The entire school thinks us crown princes and our closest friends from high nobility are the in-crowd of MRA seven years ago. In reality, you're the real Big Man on Campus, Yasu."

  


"Yeah, whatever," Kosuke coughed. He turned to Kazuki immediately. "I'm done with my report. Your turn."

  


"Okay, good," Kazuki nodded. "That's quite a lot for Day 2, and it's a good thing too. At least we know the next steps for tomorrow."

  


Kazuki began to his brief Day 2 report when the three graveyard shift undercover reishou tantei, Minato Inoue, Kaito Okano, and Mao Sasaki reported that there was some strange supernatural being trying to break out of the trapdoor during the Witching Hours period. He also reported about the old autopsy report on Yundong Kim's body and the reason why the detectives, MEs, and others only referred Yundong as the unidentified student.

  


"Aaah… that's just…" The crown princes moaned in heartbreak after learning of the state of Yundong Kim's lifeless body, namely on the face skinning portion.

  


Ruki bit his bottom lip, slowly lifting his head away, refraining himself from shedding his own tears. "So… that's how Yundong Kim died… they skinned his face… that's why he was referred to as the _unidentified student_ …"

  


Shin shook his head and turned to Youta: "I know we shouldn't proceed further with the investigation until after the grand ball, but… I'm seriously tempted to head to your private residence and review that evidence box myself! Skinning? Who does this in this day and time?"

  


"Wait…" Youta whispered softly, placing his hand over his mouth. "Could it…?"

  


"Huh? What is it, Aniki?" His brother showed his curiosity.

  


"The skinning… where have I read it from…?" Youta began to ponder deeply regarding the skinning. Moments later, he snapped his fingers. "Now I remember."

  


"Yeah? What is it?" Kosuke asked.

  


"There is a practice that the ancient Seibaran clergy would do as part of the funeral rites of royalty, high nobility, and even a family member of the high clergy. They call it _Hagitori_. Not every deceased who were about to be buried will have their faces skinned. The ones who do get skinned are usually the ones who, according to their judgment, have had so many troubles in their past lives. Those troubles, they said, can be transformed into vengeance, and if they weren't ascended to the heavens after the funeral rites without skinning them, they become wandering vengeance ghosts who may cause unfortunate circumstances in the living world. Examples of these are corrupt or questionable kings, abuse victims, and such."

  


"But Yundong wasn't like that," Shosei raised his concern. "I don't think he's the type of person who would be a vengeful ghost, wouldn't he?"

  


"And that's why his face was skinned," Youta concluded. "Well, for now, let's assume that the unidentified student was Yundong until we receive that vital profile from the Hangingake Census."

  


"Yundong? A vengeful spirit?" Ruki began to ponder himself. "I don't know, it just doesn't sound like him. Not when we all got to know him when we were still back in school. But, if they were afraid that Yundong would become a vengeful spirit if they didn't skin his dead body, then that must mean that he had unfinished business to deal with and someone— or something— prevented him from finishing whatever purpose he had."

  


"The Inner Seibaran Funeral Rites is quite unique for royalty, high nobility, and clergy," Youta began. "First part is the public ritual, in which the body is being blessed and mourners come to say their final farewells. And then, the body was placed in a coffin and the hearse takes it to another location, where the second part of the ritual takes place. This one is a private ritual that only closest family may attend. The presiding priest will go through various prayers, incantations, and other acts over the deceased's body. And then, the family once again go through prayers and final farewells, and leave.

  


"From there, the priest and its group of clergymen would go through some meditation with the body at the center. From there, they will determine what kind of person the deceased was in the past. Based on that judgment, they will declare if the _Hagitori_ ritual will have to be taken place or they can finally wrap and bury the body to its designated tomb. They say that if the deceased had troubles or was problematic while he was alive, they will perform the _Hagitori_ on the deceased's face. The skinning will prevent the deceased from becoming a wandering vengeful spirit, and will also guarantee that the deceased's spirit will truly ascend to the heavens.

  


"The _Hagitori_ has a proper process. They will drain the body of the remaining blood first before the skinning takes place.*

  


The entire gathering squirmed at the thought of the process: draining the deceased body's remaining blood, and then the skinning of the face. A very gruesome ritual, but this particular ritual doesn't take place with anyone. But with Yundong?

  


"If that's what happened to Yundong, assuming again that the _unidentified student_ was indeed Yundong," Ruki answered, "why is Yundong still roaming around as a wandering spirit? He didn't turn out to be a wandering vengeful spirit, but he still is a wandering spirit."

  


"That can only mean one thing," Shin joined in. "Yundong didn't have a proper burial. He was a family member of a high-leveled clergy, the son of the current Seibara Cardinal of Hangingake even. If he died and the family recovered him, he would go through this very elaborate funeral rites which may or may not include the _Hagitori_ ritual, right? Why is he still here for several years already? About fourteen years now?"

  


"Looks like our tasks regarding the unidentified student murder cold case keeps on piling up and piling up, Yasu," Kazuki sighed, then turned to Sano. "Looks like you're going to provide us extra hands in this investigation, Sano."

  


"Don't worry," Sano reassured, "everything will be easier once the grand ball caper has been successfully completed. You'll get your higher-class reishou tantei to assist Keigo and Mion after that day. But for now, we'll have to use what we have and further investigate them."

  


"In addition, his body went missing just as the CME was about to finish his autopsy report," Kazuki added in his report. "So, even the unidentified student's body is nowhere to be found."

  


"Even if we even retrieve his body, I don't think we'd be able to get anything," Kosuke sighed. "Fourteen years is way too long… unless the body is preserved somehow."

  


"That's another reason why he's a wandering spirit then," Sano joined in. "Well, right now, Crown Prince Ruki and Crown Prince Shosei would have to find a way to convince the Cardinal to grant consent to releasing his late son's vital profile from Hangingake so we can determine his actual DNA readings and have the forensics team match it with the DNA of the unidentified student. When that happens, we can officially declare that Yundong is that unidentified student."

  


"It will be done, sooner than you think, Sano," Ruki assured everyone. "I'll make sure you receive that vital profile."

  


"Well then," Sano stretched his arms, "looks like we've got a lot coming from Day 2 alone, don't we?"

  


"Still got the individual reports from Keigo and Mion too," Kosuke reminded. "I just hope they don't get too overwhelmed and forget to submit their investigation reports to me."

  


Just as Kosuke indicated that fact, he felt the vibrations in his pocket. Someone just sent him a text message on his phone. He reached for his phone in his pocket, as Sano made another complaint.

  


"Seriously, Yasupon, you really need to learn how to be more prompt with your phone calls. You got me pissed off earlier today warning you about this demolition blessing ritual and you won't even check your emails and text on your phone," Sano crossed his arms.

  


"I was at work and I don't like being disturbed while I'm at work," Kosuke crossed his arms. "You've got my subordinates to bug if you need to reach me, Sano."

  


"They're your fellow detectives, not your lackeys, Yasupon," Kazuki reminded him, as Kosuke shrugged his shoulders to ignore it.

  


"Right, lemme get this. I'll be back."

  


He exited Sano's office, leaving Sano, Kazuki, and the four crown princes inside, as he checked the screen on his phone. Two text messages from both Keigo and Mion arrived on his text list. He opened both texts and only saw file attachments. Their investigative reports have arrived.

  


He opened both attachments and began to read their reports. He found many similarities between the siblings' reports, in which some details also made him nervous. He continued on reading them by himself until he was called out from the door.

  


"Yasu, we're wrapping up the meeting soon," Sano called out, with Kosuke turning his head towards his boss.

  


"I think my siblings had gone insane…" Kosuke muttered.

  


"Eh? Was it them? Their reports?" Kosuke nodded, as he proceeded back to the door.

  


As he returned to the seat, the rest present in Sano's office all glanced at him with curiosity. Kosuke sighed deeply first, as he left his smartphone screen open and began his report.

  


"Keigo and Mion split from one another so that they can determine how long this barrier is from one end to the next. They both reported that the barrier turns out to be an invisible barrier to the human eyes, but for reishou, it's a semi-transparent wall. When touched, it's very solid. They can't go through it, but there's definitely some phantasmic traces surrounding the wall."

  


"So, we're dealing with a _seikabe_ ," Youta immediately answered. "Holy wall."

  


"What the heck is that?" Kazuki asked curiously. "Look, I'm not a reishou tantei or anything, so I don't know much about it."

  


"Didn't you say you're an Inner Seibara devout earlier, Tanabe?" Kosuke asked to confirm. "I thought you should know about this?"

  


"Well, I've heard of it but no one really talks about stuff like that at the temples."

  


Youta cleared his throat. "A _seikabe_ is a holy wall created through a series of incantations and holy powers that blocks wandering spirits away from the living. It's also serves as a border between the spirit world and the world of the living. It only works on certain areas in which there is a crossing bridge between worlds but no one can see it. If there is a _seikabe_ at the Muyoudake, then that would mean that whatever's on that other side of the wall isn't part of our world anymore."

  


"Yeah, no kidding?" Kosuke frowned. "They actually made contact with the spirits blocked on the other side just by facing the wall. Yeah, both stated the same thing."

  


"Anything mentioned about Yundong Kim?" Sano asked curiously.

  


"They both requested for Yundong Kim's spirit to appear before them, but the wailing spirits all say the same: the barrier became so potent and powerful that it also made some spirits become silent. Apparently, Yundong himself also became silent and can't use his voice. He was also nowhere to be found and requested to have a higher-class reishou to break that wall."

  


Youta nodded in agreement. "Yes, these spirits are correct. I learned that too from religion studies. No spirit or living human, not even the Seibara clergy who built that wall through incantations, can even break that wall. A Grand Class or an Elite Class should be able to do it."

  


"You see, Yasu?" Sano patted his friend on the shoulder. "That is why I've assigned you the two detectives and one forensic investigator in your team regarding this case. We all had a bad feeling you're going to have a very difficult time working on this case when you lack the proper powers to deal with ghosts and supernatural forces like that _seikabe_ wall thing. Keigo and Mion can't deal with all of these alone because they're not that strong dealing with them."

  


"Yeah, yeah, right…"

  


"I see," Ruki nodded, then joined in. "The question now is, if the Inner Seibara clergy were the ones who built that _seikabe_ , who gave them consent to do so? Don't they need consent from the Patriarch for them to do that?"

  


Youta nodded in agreement. "Another mystery that we have to solve… why was that wall built there all of a sudden and why?"

  


Shin added: "That wall wasn't there seven years ago when we first encountered Yundong's ghost while being chased by these wailing wandering spirits out there to kill us… or scare us even. We were able to get past that intersection and who knows how far we went before Yundong showed up and the other ghosts started chasing us back away."

  


"There's another thing that scared me from their reports," Kosuke continued on. "The spirits they encountered mumbled something about the Seibara clergy… breeding something horrendous that will… solve and purify the world's peace and prosperity. It cringes me whenever I hear the word 'breeding' being tied in with a dominant religious organization such as the Seibara."

  


"Breeding… hmm…" The princes began to ponder themselves, while Kazuki purposely dropped his head against the table.

  


"See? They've gone insane. Maybe they were hearing things…"

  


Ruki chuckled at the statement. "Yasupon, they're Grand Class reishou tantei— of course they can hear things no ordinary human can hear. What are you talking about?"

  


Youta broke his silence as he pondered. "Let's get back to that issue much later— right after the grand ball."

  


"Agreed," Sano nodded. "You'll have to wait till your three detectives report to you the day after the grand ball. Then we'll focus on this _seikabe_ wall and whatever the stuff they warned to Keigo and Mion earlier today. Right now, even though we've got a lot to cover, we still got nothing to work on."

  


"So, what are you suggesting, Sano?" Kosuke asked. "Are we backing out from our current investigation now? Those folks at MRA are going to demolish that library building soon and we may lose our spot in getting that lock open. It'll be a lot harder to investigate when there's construction going on as well."

  


"I'll take care of the library issue, Yasu," Sano insisted. "Right now, you and your teams got a lot of work to do that doesn't require field investigation. Besides, Keigo and Mion need more rest after what happened earlier, and let's be sure they stay home tonight."

  


"I'll text them really quick," Kosuke said, as he began to reply to both text messages and ordered them to stay home and take a rest. After he sent his replies, he turned to Kazuki. "By the way, Tanabe, did Shuta mention the name of the CME who performed the autopsy on that unidentified student's body?"

  


"Oh, right!" Kazuki reached for his phone and opened his notepad app to check his notes. "Ah, here it is. Dr. Sotaro Kinjo. They looked him up already and it looks like he's long retired from the profession. No one knows where he is at the moment."

  


Kosuke frowned. "Great. I'd add him to the list of individuals we need to question about the cold case. I don't know if he'll have any vital info about the case, but we can't ignore him."

  


"Ah, but no worries," Sano smiled. "We _do_ know someone who's related to him. Just invite him for a coffee or something, Yasupon."

  


"Huh? We know someone related to the retired CME? Who?"

  


The princes chuckled, with Youta shaking his head. "Yasupon, think of the family name."

  


"Kinjo, so what?" Kosuke frowned. Seconds later, he gasped and covered his mouth. "Wait— _him_?!"

  


"Hey, don't disrespect the guy, he's doing very well right now," Sano gave a glare. "Yeah, he was a slacker back in school and had the lowest marks among the entire LEF class because he hated learning the philosophy and history and crap during LEF and was generally lazy as hell, but he finally turned himself around when he reached med school."

  


"So… _he_ eventually chose medicine as a profession. Why did he take LEF instead of the Sciences field?"

  


"Yasupon, this is why we all rather you and your siblings stay in the Royal Capital after university," Sano chuckled. "He _had_ to take LEF because of the dream career he was pursuing all this time. Think about it— law enforcement and med school. If you put them together, what do you get?"

  


Kosuke raised his eyebrow. "Medical examiner?"

  


"Not just that," Kazuki grinned. "He is also the current CME, recently appointed two years ago. He's the youngest ever recorded to reach that position."

  


"And that Dr. Sotaro Kinjo who did that autopsy report on the unidentified student?" Sano added. "He replaced him. His own son replaced him after his retirement."

  


Kosuke smirked at the thought, as Sano handed him the current chief medical examiner's business card. "Call him anytime and have some coffee or something. He misses you too."

  


"Y'all here really do miss me, huh?" Kosuke gave a smirk. "I'm not really used to people telling me straight up that they miss me. Most people hate my guts."

  


"Because you're the life and soul of the LEF-30, Yasu. You've made so many record-breaking moments that all other academies' own LEF classes look up to you as a threat! You and your siblings made it to the MRA Hall of Fame, remember?"

  


"Yeah, I remember, but yeah," Kosuke shrugged, then cleared his throat. "But, if you guys missing me is for real and you're not messing with me, then thank you."

  


Everyone smiled, with Kosuke sighing out in relief, feeling himself more at home than he ever was. "Right, so… is this it?"

  


Youta nodded. "Yes, this is it. Let's all call it for the night."

  


"One more thing," Sano suddenly interrupted. From the folders he was carrying earlier, he handed three of them towards Kosuke. "Before we all forget, I want your signature in these files, Yasu."

  


"What are these?" Kosuke checked the labels of the folders. "Already? Huh, alright then."

  


He opened the first folder, looked through the papers, and found the empty field that required his signature and signed it. He did the same with the remaining two.

  


"Now that I'm here right across from you, Yasupon," Youta said, "I can finally order you this."

  


"What's that?" Kosuke looked up after he finished signing the last folder.

  


"You can give a teaser to your team about the three new detectives who will be working with them soon," Youta smiled. "Don't reveal too much until after the grand ball."

  


Kosuke pouted and nodded. "Spoilers then? Alright."

  


They concluded the meeting and then exchanged handshakes and embraces. As for Kosuke, all he received were hugs from everyone present in the office. They left the office together and then took the elevator going down the first floor lobby.

  


Meanwhile, Ruki turned to Kosuke, who was standing next to him. "By the way, we visited that new coffee and tea booth by the entrance."

  


"Yeah? You like the coffee?"

  


"Really good!" Shosei grinned happily. "And what an honor that their most popular signature coffee drinks were named after us! The _Four Crown Princes_ drink is my favorite so far."

  


" _The Raira Bros_ drink is my favorite," Youta admitted.

  


"There's actually one they're currently working on right now," Shin chuckled. "And it's got an interesting name too."

  


"Yeah? What name?"

  


" _Rukion_ ," Youta chuckled.

  


"What the—" Kosuke snapped right at Ruki, "it's named after you, Ruki?"

  


"What can I say," Ruki sighed with a slight smirk on his face, fixing the collar of his inner turtle neck, "it does feel honorable to have a special coffee beverage named after me."

  


"The hell kind of a name is that? Why not just call it _The Crown Prince Ruki_ coffee drink or something?"

  


"Psh, that's the lamest name I've ever heard for a specialty coffee beverage, Yasupon," Ruki declared. " _Rukion_ sounds a lot cooler!"

  


"What's the _—ion_ stand for?"

  


Ruki placed a finger on his own lips. "Secret."

  


Kosuke scratched his head, returning the smirk. "You really are cocky, you know that, Crown Prince Ruki of Hangingake? Among the four of you, you're the cockiest of them all!"

  


"But I'm also the sweetest prince you'll ever meet," Ruki continued on with his self-centered grin. "If you really think about me that way, Yasupon, then you should also realize how much we are spiritually compatible with each other."

  


" _Spiritually compatible_? The hell, Ruki? I'm not that sweet of a person unlike you."

  


"Because you copy every single sweet gesture from me, Ruki," Shin declared, "but you haven't mastered everything yet. You haven't even snagged the heart of the girl you've been crushing on since high school."

  


"Shh," Ruki hushed his fellow prince. "I'm still working on that."

  


"For seven years?" Sano joined in the conversation. "Well, gotta admit that besides you being seriously cocky, you're very devoted to all your goals."

  


"That I am," Ruki scoffed. "I'm still determined to be a reishou tantei, and once I do, I will make my first move."

  


"I can't wait to witness your clownery, Ruki," Kosuke returned the scoffed. "A highly-respected crown prince of the wealthiest kingdom of this planet becoming a reishou tantei. This I gotta see."

  


"Me too," Shosei grinned. "Especially with my brother here? Me too, Yasu."

* * *

  


### MIRUKAN ROYAL ACADEMY (Library crime scene - Present, 3:00 a.m.)

  


The RC-15 graveyard shift undercover detectives, Minato Inoue, Kaito Okano, and Mao Sasaki were eating their very early-morning breakfast from the coffee booth outside the school gates, as their graveyard shift uniformed officers continued to patrol the library crime scene. They were sitting at the stairs of the library's main entrance, just finishing up their breakfast sandwiches when Kaito gazed at his wristwatch.

  


"It's 3 a.m., guys," Kaito reminded his fellow undercover detectives. "Y'all ready?"

  


The two detectives quickly finished their coffee cups and crumpled the wrappers of their breakfast sandwiches, putting all their trash inside their individual paper bags. They threw them quickly in the garbage bin not too far from where they're sitting.

  


"Now we're ready," Mao said, nodding.

  


Minato checked his equipment stuffed in his leather jacket's inner pockets and compartments. "Alright, let's do this!"

  


The uniformed officers they assigned followed them from behind, as Kaito reached for the library keys handed to him by their inspector captain, Kazuki Tanabe, the day before. He unlocked the door slowly, as the door opened smoothly. The three detectives made their way to the stairs leading to the basement floors and eventually, towards the Old Archives Basement.

  


Remembering what they experienced the night before, the trapdoor locked by the old complex lock began to tremble and its invisible seal surrounding the trapdoor also activate as it trembled to keep the door shut. Once again, now acting as reishou tantei, the three graveyard shift detectives decided to confront the being trying to break the trapdoor open.

  


As they touched down the old archives basement floor, as expected, the door's invisible seal began to glow right in front of their eyes. And just as expected, the trapdoor began to tremble again, trying to break the door open. Rather than backing away like they did the night before, the three Central Class reishou tantei were ready.

  


Minato, Kaito, and Mao approached the trembling, glowing trapdoor. They tiptoed closer until they found their own safe zones just some twelve inches away from the trapdoor. They bent down to examine or attempt to take a peak at the trapdoor cracks and see if they can spot the spirit or whatever being it was trapped inside. The three found themselves lying flat on their stomach and placed their ears on the floor to have a closer hearing.

  


A few minutes later, they heard sounds from inside. Thinking they may be ghostly screams made by malevolent spirits, they were surprised to hear that the sounds they heard were not what they thought they were.

  


"Anyone? Someone? Help us! Please!" A faint voice called out directly from inside the trapdoor.

  


"Huh…" Minato whispered, as Kaito and Mao shook their heads in curiosity. They continued to listen once more.

  


"Do you know Hayato Isohata? Is he safe? Please find him, he may be in trouble! Someone save him! Hurry!" Another faint voice called out from the door.

  


"Hayato Isohata?" Mao asked curiously. "That's the current HSS dean, right?"

  


"Hm, maybe it'll calm their voices down if we start speaking to them," Kaito suggested. "I'll go ahead and respond."

  


Kaito crawled closer to the trapdoor, then slowly placed his gloved hand on the door. Right then, the trembling stopped. "This is the RC-15 Police. Please identify yourselves."

  


The voices stopped, then few seconds later, one of them spoke. "Huh? Y-you can hear us? RC-15 Police?"

  


"Yes… we can hear you."

  


"Can you open the door, please? My friends and I need to pass on a message! Our friend has been captured and who knows what may have happened to him now…"

  


Kaito once again repeated. "Please, identify yourselves first!"

  


"You don't understand, Sir!" Another voice spoke. "We have to get out… we have to find Hayato Isohata— hoping he'd be safe! He has to retrieve this message from our friend and pass it on to some VIPs!"

  


The three turned to one another, as Minato crawled closer, taking his turn. "Unlocking the trap door is impossible, it's locked by one of those sophisticated ancient locks that only locksmiths can unlock."

  


"You are… reishou tantei?" Another voice spoke. "Can't you unlock it?"

  


"We're only Central Class, we can't break the lock with a bolt cutter. We don't have the means to break or unlock the lock. But if you give us your names, we'll see if we can find someone for help."

  


"Wait…" Another voice joined in. "May I ask… what date is it today?"

  


Minato answered the date, which made the voices inside the trapdoor gasp in shock. "So… we've been trapped here… for fourteen years…"

  


"But," one of the voices spoke again, "please, let us know. Do you know Hayato Isohata? Is he safe?"

  


Mao reached for the trapdoor and joined in the questioning. "Please, give us your names, first. Then we'll inform you about Hayato Isohata."

  


There was a pause for a few moments, with the three detectives waiting for their answer. Finally, each of the voices identified themselves:

  


"Ryunosuke Nakano, age 17."

  


"Sho Fukuchi, age 18."

  


"Minhyuk Lee, age 18."

  


"Ryuto Iwasaki, age 17."

  


"Ginsuke Nakagawa, age 18."

  


Quickly, Minato reached for his smartphone, opened his notepad app, and began to type the names of the mysterious beings trapped inside. Afterwards, he placed his phone back and answered.

  


"Don't worry. Your friend, Hayato Isohata, is safe."

  


"Thank the gods!"

  


Kaito took over the questioning. "We're very sorry, we don't have the means or the power to open the trapdoor. The lock placed over it is much too strong and complicated. But, we do have some questions, so that we may help you further. You said you have a message to pass on to Hayato Isohata?"

  


There was another pause from the inside. Few moments later, one of them made his response: "I'm sorry, this is very confidential. We _must_ speak to Hayato-kun directly himself. We want to know that he's alright."

  


The three detectives turned to one another, with Mao making his comment: "How can they communicate with a normal being? Dean Isohata isn't a reishou…"

  


"According to our training before," Kaito said, "the only one who can do that is an Elite Class reishou. We don't know anybody with that level."

  


Minato gazed at his wristwatch and then gave a frown. "We don't have much time, the Witching Hours are going to end soon."

  


"So, if all of them were under 20," Mao whispered, "that means they're…"

  


The other two nodded. "Yes. They're dead, obviously."

  


They went back to the trapdoor again. "We're here to investigate a cold case that took place here in Mirukan Royal Academy," Minato began. "Hear us out, please."

  


"Alright, we're listening."

  


"We would like to ask you this question: Do you… happen to know our possible victim for this case? An 18-year-old student named Yundong Kim from fourteen years ago?"

  


There was a pause once more, and then, shrieks of surprise were heard. "You know Yundong Kim? But… it's too late…"

  


"Well… it's been fourteen years, and this is why it's a cold case," Kaito sighed.

  


"They captured him… and… he stayed behind so we can escape… and…"

  


The voices suddenly began to fade, with the three already having trouble hearing them. "Wait… don't leave yet! Tell us more about Yundong Kim!" At that time, the glowing of the trapdoor shield stopped and any movement from inside the trapdoor also halted. Minato punched the floor with disappointment, with Kaito and Mao calming him down.

  


"Ugh, we're so close! I can't believe those were Yundong's friends!" Minato gritted his teeth.

  


"They won't talk to us until they get to talk to Dean Isohata, that's the problem," Mao gave a frown. "I get it though, they're very cautious. I'd be the same too."

  


Kaito nodded. "It'd be easier if Dean Isohata himself is a reishou but he isn't. We need an Elite Class reishou to bridge communications between the wandering spirit and a normal human being. The wandering spirit would have to possess the reishou to be able to speak."

  


"Ooh yeah, this is going to be a major problem…" Mao sighed. "Who do we know is registered as an Elite class? Yeah, we'll have a lot of searching to do."

  


"Well, now that we know the mystery behind that trapdoor," Minato stood up, "we can finally wrap up tonight's investigation and clean up the canopies. Tanabe wants us to clear out of the library area for the time being. The grand ball is in three days."

  


"Well, besides the trapdoor, there's nothing much we can investigate here. We collected pretty much everything we could gather earlier this morning," Kaito nodded. "I ain't going to the Muyoudake at this hour, no way!"

  


"After what happened to the Rairas earlier? I'm scared too," Mao frowned.

  


"Anyway, they don't want us to investigate the Muyoudake until after the grand ball anyway," Minato reminded them. "Alright, let's call it a night. We can finally clean up and go home early."

  


The three detectives ascended back to the lobby floor of the library and reached the exit.

  



End file.
